When Darkness Turns to Light
by Aecoris
Summary: After Mary died, John blamed Dean for her death and beat him throughout his life. He kept this from Sam but one day Sam has a vision of his father killing Dean and goes to save him. Sam must now deal with family secrets and his tortured brother. COMPLETE!
1. It Ends Tonight

_Whoo! So for all of you that have read Second Chance and heard about this story, I'm finally getting this up! For all of you that haven't, I hope you like this! It's my first AU story and I'm really nervous. I hope you guys enjoy it! Please leave reviews and tell me what you think, it keeps me going. If I get a lot of reviews, I'll continue, if I don't I'll probably stop, just because I'm really unsure if people will like my first AU story so please let me know! I want to know if it's any good! I like the idea but I want to know what you guys think because you're the ones I'm writing for!_

_Here is the full summary!_

_After Mary's death John eventually becomes abusive towards Dean, beating him and placing the blame on Dean's shoulders. Everything that goes wrong is Dean's fault to him. (Yea I know that John wouldn't do this, but this story is AU) Dean doesn't let Sam know what's going on this whole time, trying to protect him from what's happening to him and from John. When Sam leaves for college John beats Dean even more blaming him for Sam's departure. Dean eventually escapes and Sam has a vision of his father killing Dean. Sam finds Dean severely beaten and takes him back to Stanford with him and Jess. He learns what happened and has to deal with all that has been poured into his mind and a physically and mentally tortured Dean. Dean has no confidence in himself and sees himself as a loser and worthless and it's up to Sam to help him while still going to school. Well that's just what's going to eventually come up in a story hopefully sometime soon! I wanted to write something different that was kinda AU! If you want, you can tell me what you think._

* * *

Sam Winchester didn't have a clue why he was in this dirty building. It looked like it hadn't been used in a decade at least. One minute he was watching TV in bed with his girlfriend Jess in their apartment near the Stanford campus, the next he was here. Maybe he was dreaming. Most likely was. But none of his dreams have ever been this vivid before. It felt like this was really happening that what he was seeing was real.

He heard a moan and a cough to his left and his head quickly turned in that direction. His dad always used to take him and Dean on hunting trips with him.. He used to tell him "Sam, you're smart. Not like your thick skulled brother here. You do the job right, Dean always messes up. Together I know we can catch the thing that killed your mom." But Sam knew his Dad was way over the edge. He was obsessed with killing this thing, he drank way too much and he often slapped Dean. Sam didn't know why his dad always took the anger out on Dean and not him. It got him really upset and whenever he tried asking about it his father would tell him that Dean was misbehaving and deserved to be slapped. But to Sam, Dean never misbehaved, he always did everything he was told, but it never seemed good enough for their father, it was like he loved Sam more than Dean.

Sure, Dean dropped out of High School, but Dean told him it was just too hard. It wasn't Dean's fault he wasn't very smart. Sam loved his brother, even though he was pretty much a loser. Dean never had any friends, was always alone, and never joined any clubs in high school. He was pretty socially awkward too, didn't communicate well with people, he was too shy. Sam didn't understand why Dean was like this because he was never like this with Sam. He watched over Sam and played games with him when he was little, helped him with his problems. Even though their Dad obviously seemed to care more for Sam, he was never there for him. Dean was the one that was always there for him and Sam loved him to death for that. He took his side when he decided to go to Stanford even though it looked like their father was going to beat him.

Sam wished Dean would have come with him but he didn't. That might be because Sam used to ditch Dean sometimes when he was in high school, he wouldn't take Dean with him to hang out with his friends because he didn't want his friends to make fun of him for having a loser as a brother. Sometimes when Dean asked to hang out with Sam, Sam would ditch him to go hang out with his friends, he loved his brother but he didn't want to be seen with him back then. Sam could slap himself now for that. He learned while in college that it doesn't matter how "cool" you are, that all goes away after high school. Your "friends" leave you and only the true ones stay. Dean was his only true friend, and he was so rude to him before. That is probably why Dean wouldn't come with Sam and stayed with his father that he knew Dean couldn't stand. He would risk staying with a mad man than embarrass his little brother. Dean deserved a huge apology from Sam, but Sam could never get ahold of him.

Sam was drawn from his thoughts by another moan. He decided to follow the hallway to the left. He ended up in what looked like it used to be a storage room. He saw a sign that said Storage Co. Los Angles that confirmed his suspicions. He drifted his eyes across the room and saw a bundle of something lying in the corner. He cautiously made his way over and realized that it was a human. Bending down further to inspect it, he saw that it was just not any human, but his big brother.

Dean looked horrible, his face was covered in blood and his hair was matted to his face. He was holding his left arm to him like it was broken and he was wheezing. He looked around the room quickly through his shattered glasses like he was afraid of who was coming. But the scariest part was that he looked right through Sam, like he couldn't see him.

"Dean?" He asked but it was like Dean never heard him. He reached down to touch Dean's shoulder but his hand went right through him.

What was going on?

A bang echoed through the room and Sam spun around. He saw his father quickly walking into the room, a gun in his hand.

"So you think you can run away from me huh? What? Is this pain to much for you, you pathetic wimp?!" His father yelled at his brother "You know what? I'd be so much better without you, you're not even worth my amusement in watching you suffer, you're not worth anything! It's your fault Mary died! I let you live through that! But then you let your brother go away to college...that I can't stand anymore! It's your fault I lost him too!" His father then kicked Dean in the face, knocking out some teeth.

Dean whimpered and blood flowed down his chin. "Won't let you take Sammy away from college...rather die..." He choked out

"Alright then, I'll kill you." He pointed the gun at Dean's head. "I hate you." And pulled the trigger.

Sam started awake. It took him a while to realize that he was still in bed, Jess was gone at her morning class.

The dream...it was so real...too real...It seemed like it really happened. What if...

No, his father would never do that. He didn't like Dean was much as Sam but he would never torture him or kill him...would he? The father he dreamed about sounded so much like his real father...He needed to make sure Dean was okay. He called Dean's cell and got a dial tone. That wasn't a good sign. Dean always left his phone on in case Sam needed him...Sam was beginning to get scared. There was no harm in driving over to Los Angles and checking out that abandoned building, Storage Co. It wasn't that far from Stanford now was it? He'd drive over there and try to find his brother, if he wasn't there than his dream was just that, a dream. If he was then...

Sam hoped he would be alive.

He left a note to Jess saying his brother needed him and he was going to drive over and visit him. Then he got in his car and sped off towards Los Angles. His dream took place at night. It was 9 in the morning now. Hopefully he could get to Dean before then.

* * *

Dean Winchester lay huddled in a corner in the abandoned building in Los Angles. He managed to escape from his father's latest blowout. They just kept getting worse and worse ever since he let Sam go off to college. But there was no way he wasn't letting Sammy enjoy himself and have fun at college. Sammy should have the chance to live. He knew he himself would never be able to.

Somehow, he had been able to hide most of the stuff his father had done to him from Sammy. His father didn't used to beat him. But once both he and Sammy got older, his father realized Sammy was smart and strong and Dean was dumb and weak. He took that and used it against Dean, blaming him for not being able to protect Mary, like it was his fault she died! He was considered useless to his father while Sammy was the perfect child. But Dean never took it against Sam. He loved his baby brother and would do anything for him. Sam knew that John beat Dean but Dean told him it was just because he was misbehaving. The big things like John breaking Dean's arm, John splashing chemicals into Dean's eyes in an attempt to blind him, John using Dean as bait for the hunts and coming back as a bloody mess, Dean would make up stories for. Saying that he accidentally fell out of a tree, knocked down the bottle and it got into his eyes, and he just in the way of the monster they were hunting. Dean never wanted Sam to know the truth about his father. Never.

Dean couldn't run anymore so he had to take refuge in this building. He hadn't eaten in days; he couldn't even move his body anymore. Dean had escaped before, but had never gotten very far. This time he knocked his father out and ran across the city. But his father was bound to find him. He'd ask people if they saw a bloody man in his twenties running down the street or he'd call the cops. Either way, he was bound to find Dean.

His father had beaten him so horribly because he wouldn't tell his father where Sam was living so he could break into his apartment and take him away. He never wanted his father to touch Sam, never wanted Sam to see him again.

Even though Sam probably didn't love Dean as much as he loved him, Dean was more than ready to die for him. He understood why Sam used to ditch him, because he was such a loser, a high school drop out. But he had to drop out of high school. It wasn't like he was too stupid to complete it. It was because his father never allowed him to do his homework. "You're too stupid, why do you even bother, you'll fail." He'd tell him. And plus, teachers had started asking him about his bruises and black eyes and why suddenly one day Dean, who had perfect eyesight, needed such strong glasses. He didn't want the teachers to get involved.

So he simply layed there, waiting for his father to come, and when he heard footsteps he crawled into a ball and closed his eyes. Waiting for the pain.

"Dean?" A voice called out.

But it was a kind, scared, caring voice. It wasn't the harsh maniac voice of his father.

It was Sam's voice.

Sammy had found him.


	2. I Won't Go Home Without You

_Wow! I just want to say **thank you so much! **I was so surprised that I was getting reviews almost right away for this story! And in only one whole day I got 12 reviews! That is the most I've ever gotten on any chapter! I also got so many hits to this in just one day! It really makes me happy that you guys are enjoying this and took the time to review! So, because it seems like you guys like the story I'm going to update already! The more reviews I get, the more it motivates me to write quicker! I can't thank you guys enough, it means a lot to me to know that people are reading and enjoying my stories! Thank you, thank you thank you! You guys rock! And if you have any questions about the story feel free to ask in the reviews! I love to answer your questions and I will e-mail you back! Now, on with the story!_

* * *

Sam was beyond relieved when he saw that his brother was still there, breathing and alive. He had been so terrified that he might lose his brother. On the way to save Dean, he had realized that he might not ever see his brother again, that his brother may be dead. The thought frightened him so much that he had to pull over to the side of the highway while he cried. He only stopped when he came to the conclusion that crying wasn't going to save Dean, he might still be alive, and he was wasting time crying when he could be on his way to save his brother. Each second counted.

But now he saw his brother shaking in the corner, terribly beaten, but blessedly alive, and Sam could finally calm down for a moment. I had taken him a while to actually find the abandoned building and the sun was going to set in about a half hour. They didn't have that much time to stay in here. It got dark in an hour, and their father could come as soon as then to...kill Dean.

Sam rushed over to his brother's bloody form and bent down in front of him. Dean seemed to know that it was Sam who was here and not his father, which was a good sign.

"Dean...oh God...Dean..." Sam didn't have words for this; he didn't know what to say. Nothing he could say would make this all better.

But he could try.

He gently propped Dean's head up in his lap while he tried to wipe the blood from Dean's face to see where it was coming from. "You're going to be okay Dean. You're safe now. I'm here and I'm going to make sure no one ever hurts you again."

Tears sprung from Sam's eyes when he saw his brother slowly reaching out a shaking, bloody hand to him, asking for comfort. Sam grabbed Dean's hand tightly, but decided quickly that that wasn't enough and pulled his brother into a gentle but firm hug.

Sobs wracked through Sam's body from seeing his brother so broken. Throughout all his life Dean had always taken whatever pain he got and seemed to miraculously walk away from it. Sam never saw him so helpless before, Dean had always stayed strong in front of Sam. And now from what Sam just learned about his father, Sam didn't have a clue how Dean could be so strong. He had no clue how Dean could handle their father this whole time.

But then it struck him. Dean would do anything to keep Sam safe. Would do anything to protect him, even if it meant getting beat day after day. Dean always watched out for Sam.

Now it was Sam's turn to return the favor. He had to watch out for Dean. He had to protect his big brother.

"Sammy..." He heard Dean whisper, and he calmed himself down enough to listen to what Dean was trying to tell him.

"Yea Dean?" He replied back, his voice still shaky

"Dad...he did this...know you probably won't believe it, but he beat me practically my whole life...didn't want to tell you, I'm sorry, so sorry. But I needed to warn you. Because after I die, he'll try to find you. And what if he beats you too? Can't let that happen...had to tell you...so sorry, didn't want you to know..." Dean sounded horrible but he was getting through his sentences okay, so that was good.

"Dean I already know about Dad...I just found out...that's why I came here to get you..."

"How did you know? How did you find me...Sammy, did he hurt you?" Dean interrupted him

"No he didn't hurt me. And I'll explain it all later. It's not important right now, what is important is that you're alive. And what did you mean about "after I die"? Dean you're not going to die."

"Yes...he's gonna come and get me...you go..." Dean coughed

"You think I'm just gonna leave you here so he can kill you?!" Sam couldn't help but sound offended

"If you take me, he won't stop till I'm dead. If he finds out you have me I'm afraid he'll kill you too..."

Sam pulled Dean back a bit, just enough so that he can look him in the eyes. Dean looked back through his broken glasses. He was going to have to get Dean new ones. And most likely a new prescription, his pathetic father probably never got around to getting Dean a new one. "He won't find out that I have you. Stop worrying about me and worry about yourself. He's not killing either one of us." He told Dean

"Why save me anyway? I'm worthless...not worth your time..." Dean mumbled back.

"Dean you're my brother! You raised me Dean! You protected me your whole life! You are not worthless! Dean, you are practically my whole life. I can't live without you man, it would be too hard! It was hard enough being away from you these past three years at college! I thought you were doing okay, but now that I know the truth, I can't go back without you Dean. I'm sorry for all the times I've let you down or ditched you Dean, I'm so sorry. It's never going to happen again. I was stupid and I'm going to make it up to you. I love you Dean and I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you again." He told Dean, keeping eye contact the whole time.

Dean looked down, dropping the eye contact. It didn't seem that he fully believed Sam and Sam completely understood that. It was going to take more than words to tell Dean how much he meant to Sam. He was going to have to show him too. Starting now.

"You're gonna have a whole new life Dean. You can start over. I'm going to take you to my apartment that I share with my girlfriend Jess..."

"I can't do that." Dean mumbled

"Why not?!" Sam demanded

"I'd be ruining your life. You have a girlfriend that you live with, I can't just barge in. Everything would change. She probably won't like me at all...who would like me?"

Sam couldn't handle Dean's horrible case of self-loathing. "Dean Jess would love you. She already loves you from the stories I tell her about you. And yes, things will change, but they will change for the better with you around. Dean lots of people would like you and I'll prove it to you eventually."

"I can't live on a college campus, I never even finished high school, never even completed tenth grade." Dean just kept coming up with more false reasons to hate himself, to try to tell Sam that he isn't worth anything.

"It's not even on campus. It's just outside of campus. And I'll help you get your G.E.D. Dean when you're ready to try. I'll help you with anything Dean." Sam pleaded

Dean looked like he wanted to argue but decided against it and sighed. But the movement caused a spasm of pain throughout his body and he let out a yelp of pain.

"Dean!? Dean what's wrong, what hurts?!" Sam asked in a panicked tone. Dean's howl of pain brought him back to the reality that Dean was injured.

"Everything..." Dean moaned and when Sam got closer he could see that Dean's left arm had the bone peeking out of the skin. But that wasn't the least of it, Dean had gouges and bruises all throughout his body and Sam didn't even know what other injuries him clothes were covering.

"I'm taking you to a hospital." Sam said his tone dead serious. He picked Dean up into his arms, one arm under his back, the other his legs. He stood up and hurried to the exit. It sickened him how light Dean was. Dean had always been skinny, but never this bad.

"No! No hospital!" Dean said, struggling weakly in Sam's arms.

"Dean, you're seriously injured, I'm taking you to a hospital, I'm getting you help." He wasn't going to mess around when it came to his brother's health

"No Sammy...if we stop in a hospital nearby, it will be one of the first places_ he_ looks. He'll probably check every hospital, even the ones by Stanford. And the doctors will ask questions, they'll want to know who did this and I don't want them getting involved. That will just make him angrier." Dean explained

Sam realized that Dean was absolutely right. And who was he to think that Dean wasn't very smart? He seemed a lot smarter than Sam at the moment. "Okay, I won't take you to a hospital. But I'm going to have one of my friends fix you up. He's a nursing major, and he's going to graduate this year, he's real good and I can trust him not to say anything to anyone. We're safe with that okay?"

Dean nodded into Sam's chest as they reached the Impala. Sam didn't like the car at all. His father never really drove it anywhere, drove his other car. When Sam turned 16 he allowed Sam to take it. Sam hadn't understood back then why Dean still didn't have his license and why Dean couldn't have the car. He now realized that his father wouldn't have wanted Dean to drive because then he might be able to drive Sam away. And plus Dean wasn't worth the money in his eyes. The only reason Sam hadn't sold the car for something quicker and more modern is because Dean loved it. He had a thing for old cars. Sam would drive him around in it all the time and Dean would be fascinated by it. So he kept the car because it reminded him of Dean. He couldn't throw out something Dean loved so much. He was going to teach Dean how to drive and once Dean got his license; he would give the car to him. It was never really his to begin with; it had always belonged to Dean.

Sam placed Dean in the car carefully laying his legs out on the front seat and then he slid in the driver's side. There was just enough room. Sam pulled out his cell phone.

"I'm going to tell Jess to call Carl, my friend, and tell him to get things ready. Is it okay if I tell Jess about what...happened...? Don't worry, I'll tell her not to let Carl know. I'll tell him a different story." He asked, referring to what their father did to Dean.

"Go ahead, she'd find out eventually anyway..." Dean sighed

So Sam called Jess and told her a quick version of what happened. She was immediately horrified and called Carl right away. Before he hung up with her he told her one last thing. "If my father calls the apartment, tell him I'm out with friends. Don't tell him anything about Dean."

* * *

Carl helped Dean like he was supposed to and didn't ask any questions. He knew that if Sam didn't tell him anything, that it was none of his business and Sam had a right to keep this from him. He knew Sam would never hurt his brother, and that something else had. But that wasn't for him to know.

Dean ended up having, a broken arm, five broken ribs, and a nasty looking gouge in his left leg that looked to be caused by a knife, and a slight concussion. Not to mention the many other more minor injuries Dean had. Sam had been disgusted by how many new scars he had seen on Dean's body. Dean always had a lot of scars, but never this many. His father must have really gone to work on his brother when he was gone. Sam was determined to never have another scar put on his brother's body.

Jess automatically allowed Dean to lie in their bed; she was already taken to Dean. Hovering around him and putting a glass of water on the nightstand in case he was thirsty, covering him up in blankets, and they haven't even spoken yet. Dean passed out after Carl fixed him up.

"Your poor brother!" Jess cried once Carl had left. "How could someone do something so cruel to someone who never hurt them in their life?" She ran a hand through Dean's hair. Sam came up to stand behind her and she wiped her tears away.

"Lie with him in here. I'll take the guest bed. He'll probably need you next to him." She told him

Sam just nodded, a lump still in his throat, preventing him from talking.

"Dean's such a cutie." Jess told him and turned to face him "Just like his brother." She then hugged him tight.

Jess always had that ability to make Sam feel better, even when she was suffering too. Hopefully she'll have the same affect on Dean, to make him feel better, like he's worth something. Sam's not sure if he can do it alone.

Dean will need all the help he can get. But Sam is confident that he and Jess will be able to pull it off. He's going to fix his brother no matter how hard it is.


	3. Won't Let Nobody Hurt You

_Thanks everyone for reviewing! Keep it up!_ _I hope I'm not letting you down with my first AU! It's hard to update both this story and my other one so the chapters might be a little shorter, but you'll get updates more often! Well now Dean's going to wake up and there will be some Jess/Dean bonding time! And so the healing begins..._

* * *

Dean slowly awoke and his first instinct was to look out from John. He started panting and quickly glanced around the room for any sign of the sick man but the room was unfamiliar to him. Then he felt something warm and familiar at his side and he looked down to see Sam curled up beside him, and arm around him. His breathing eased as he remembered the events of the last day. Sam had saved him...

Jess quickly entered the room from hearing Dean's frantic panting. She saw Dean flinch and scoot closer to Sam at the sight of someone unfamiliar. He didn't know if she was going to hurt him...

Jess vividly remembered Sam crying on her shoulder last night. He had been holding in his tears for Dean, he wanted to be strong for him. But once Dean was deep asleep and Carl had left he completely broke down. He explained to her the dream he had and how he had found Dean in the same position, but had made it there before his father could get there. Jess believed every word. It seemed so unbelievable that Sam's dream was some vision of the future but there was no way Sam was lying to her. He then went on to say how Dean had told him that his father had beaten him, completing the truth of the vision. Sam had sobbed, saying that he should have been there for Dean before. He should have realized that Dean's wounds were constant and didn't match up with his stories. He shouldn't have ditched Dean when he was younger. He should have protected him from this...He cried about how Dean had almost died, how he almost lost his brother forever by the hands of his father, that there was so much he never got to tell Dean...

But Jess assured him there was nothing he could do. That Dean was hiding the beatings from him so well probably because he didn't want the same to happen to Sam, that he wanted to protect his little brother from the harsh truth. Jess told him that it wasn't his fault and that Dean was alive. There would be so much time to tell dean the things Sam wanted to tell him. They would have time to heal Dean, he wasn't dead and that they weren't going to let him die.

Jess looked at the frightened older brother of her boyfriend and felt an intense anger for this horrible father that she never met. She already felt like it was her job to protect him.

"Dean, sweetie. I'm Jess, Sam's girlfriend. I live here too. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, I would never hurt you. Can I come over by you?" She asked in her calmest, gentlest voice.

Dean looked at her. She seemed nice, but it could be a trick. But then he remembered that this was Sam's girlfriend. Sam trusted her and Dean trusted Sam. Sam would pick a nice girl, Dean always knew it. And Sam trusted Jess completely with this whole situation, so Dean nodded. He winced with the pain it brought to his head.

Jess quickly walked over but didn't rush it too much. He bent down beside Dean. "Are you hurting Dean? I can go get you a fresh cup of water that you can take with your medicine."

Dean simply nodded and Jess rushed over to re-fill Dean's cup with fresh water. She held the cup up to Dean and waited until he had a firm grip on it but kept her hands close by in case he dropped it. He took a couple slow sips of water and then Jess handed him his pills that he swallowed with the rest of the water.

Dean handed the cup back to her and lightly cleared his throat. "Th...Thanks..." He quietly whispered to her. It was barley audible, but it proved to Jess that she had made a good start with her relationship with Dean. He was now talking to her and not quivering away. It was a good beginning to their relationship.

"You're welcome sweetie. Do you want me to get your brother up? He sleeps like no other, not to mention his snoring..."

That got a small, shy smile out of Dean and he blushed and looked away. "No...Sammy can sleep." He said, not making eye contact, but he still smiled.

Jess found him to be absolutely adorable and couldn't help but put a hand on his shoulder and rub it lightly. Dean started and looked at her hand with a shocked expression on his face, like he couldn't believe someone other than Sam was touching him and offering him comfort other than harm. But he surprisingly didn't pull away, he didn't seem completely comfortable, but that would take time.

Jess smiled and then remembered something. "Oh! I went out and got you a new pair of glasses Dean. You'll probably still need an updated prescription, but until you feel like you want to go out, you can wear these." She grabbed a pair of in-style glasses from the nightstand and put them on his face since he might have trouble putting them on with his broken arm.

Dean looked through his new glasses and got a much clearer view of Jess. She was really pretty, and she looked very kind. Dean felt like he already trusted her, but he didn't know if it was a good idea to trust someone so soon. He figured he'd take the risk though. He didn't have much to lose. But he felt rude for making Jess waste her money on him. He wasn't worth it...

"You didn't have to...waste money on me..." Dean whispered to her and ducked his head down.

"Dean!" Jess's hand was back on Dean's shoulder. "You are not a waste of money! How could you think that? You live here now and you seem like such a nice guy. From all the stories Sam tells me about you I know it's true."

She sounded so much like she was telling the truth, but Dean didn't really believe it. What was he worth? He was broken and useless. But yet he found himself nodding, he didn't want to hurt her feelings by arguing his case.

"You're probably starving Dean! What do you want to eat? I could make pancakes, waffles omelets, any kind of eggs, sausage and bacon...I'm the cook around here. Just the smell of Sam's cooking makes you want to run out of the room and throw up in the nearest toilet!"

Sam moaned in his sleep as if he'd heard Jess's insult.

Jess was happy when she saw Dean smiling ever so slightly again. He cuddled closer to Sam and Jess realized that she wasn't going to get these two apart for very long. They both loved each other so much; they had a very close bond that Jess hadn't seen in any other siblings. She hoped that she would be able to have a close bond with Dean too. It never would be as strong as Sam's, but she was already feeling connected to him.

"So what will it be to eat Dean?" She smiled at him.

"Don't know...don't care...you pick" He mumbled and blushed

"You sure?" she asked him and got a nod in response

"How do waffles sound? With strawberries and whipped cream?"

"That's good, thank you."

Jess was amazed by his great manners. He was so polite. "There's no need to thank me Dean. I'll have your food ready in about 15 minutes." She told him and gave him one last smile before heading into the kitchen.

As she was cooking Dean's food she heard Sam awake. She listened in on their conversation.

"Hey Dean." Sam said sleepily. "You want me to make you something to eat?" He asked, not aware of Jess cooking in the next room.

She heard Dean quietly laugh and caught Sam's 'What's so funny?' and then she heard Dean's reply.

"Nah, that's okay Sammy. I don't want to throw up."


	4. This Is Right Where You Belong

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Thanks everyone for the reviews! I'm really glad you're enjoying this! Here's the next chapter!

It killed Sam to see Dean eating so timidly. He took small bites and it between each one he would look around the room as if someone would punish him for eating. But as long as Dean was eating, Sam was happy. Dean looked nearly starved and Sam wondered if their father had given Dean anything to eat at all, or if Dean had to rummage for scraps of food.

When Dean was finally finished Sam handed him some vitamins to take to get his body healthy again. He also gave him some kind of protein shake that Jess had bought while they were sleeping. She had gone out and bought anything and everything she thought Dean would need, his body needed so many nutrients that he hadn't been getting.

Sam told Dean he could go take a shower but it would be wiser if he took a bath because of his injuries. The pounding spray from the shower would probably hurt Dean's chest and Sam didn't know if Dean would even be able to keep his footing in the shower. Dean ended up taking a bath and fifteen minutes after Sam heard the water drain, Dean still wasn't out. He was beginning to worry so he knocked on the door.

"Dean? You alright?" Sam asked, concern lacing his voice

All Sam got was a muffled response that he couldn't make out so he turned the door handle and luckily they didn't have a lock on their bathroom door just yet. Sam walked in to find Dean sitting on the closed lid of the toilet, looking distressed. He had a pair of oversized jeans on that Sam had given him but no shirt over his wrapped up chest. Sam saw Dean holding the shirt in his hands, looking down at it.

"Dean, what's wrong?" Sam asked him, now that he realized that Dean was injured or anything; the concern in his voice was slowly replaced by confusion.

"Nothing..." Dean mumbled but Sam knew it was something

"Dean, it's not nothing. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's not important." Dean sighed

"Dean, if something is bothering you, then it definitely is important. Now tell me." Sam demanded but still used a gentle voice. He knew raising his voice to Dean would be a bad idea.

"Can't...can't get my shirt on..." He whispered so quietly that Sam almost missed it

"That's it Dean? Why didn't you ask me for help?" Sam asked and helped Dean get his broken arm through the shirt sleeve. He slowly lifted Dean's arms, knowing that if he lifted them too high or too quickly it would send pain shooting through his chest.

"I'm a failure, can't even get a shirt on..." Dean mumbled and hid his face in his hands. Sam pulled Deans head upright again so that he could look him in the eyes.

"Dean, how in the world does that make you a failure?! You're injured Dean! That's the only reason why you couldn't get it on. You are not a failure."

Dean just pulled his head out of Sam's grasp and looked down again. Sam sighed. He didn't know how to make Dean better but he wasn't giving up. He would never give up. It would be hard, but he owed Dean so much. He wouldn't let his brother down again.

"Come on Dean. Let's do something." Sam told him and helped Dean up

"Do what?" He asked

"I don't know. Anything. What do you want to do? Play cards, watch TV?" Sam asked

Dean shrugged. "Don't you have to be at class?" He asked

"No. I took the week off for a family emergency. Anyway, me and Jess are getting our classes switched, so one of us will always be home with you at all times." Sam explained

"I'm ruining everything. You guys don't have to do this because of me." Dean seemed to relax at the fact that someone would always be there with him but he was still more distressed thinking he was ruining their lives.

"Ugh, Dean! You're not ruining anything! I already know everything in my classes. It's actually better that I don't have to hear the professors drone on and on. Now I can learn much quicker by just reading from my book and doing my work. And me and Jess both want you here Dean. This is something we _want _to do."

Dean was quiet for a moment and then he spoke up. "There is something I wanted to do."

Sam was filled with joy that his brother was suggesting something. Maybe even wanting to get better a little. "Sure Dean, what is it?" He asked happily

"I don't want to be stupid anymore. I want to be smart, if that is even possible for me. I just don't want to be stupid anymore."

"You're not stupid Dean. And do you want me to help you study for your GED?" Sam asked him

"You don't have to help me. I can just try by myself." Dean responded

"Of course I want to help you Dean. I'm more than eager to help you." Sam smiled. They walked over to Sam's desk and Sam pulled up a chair for Dean. "There's some practice sites online where you can practice." He told Dean and smiled. Maybe he would be able to fix Dean...

* * *

John Winchester was furious when he walked into the abandoned building where according to people on the streets, they had seen a beaten and bloody man stumble into the building. But he became beyond furious when he saw that Dean was nowhere to be found. He did find a small pool of blood in the corner of the room, which must have been where Dean was hiding.

But from the peoples description of Dean's appearance, John had no idea how Dean would've been able to run away any further. Someone must have found him. Could it be...Sam?

No, Sam wouldn't bother with Dean. His older brother was a loser, worthless. Even though John could tell Sam had loved Dean, he was still embarrassed by him and left without him for college. Sam had enough brains to leave Dean. Anyway, how in the world would Sam have known that Dean was here? He had crushed Dean's cell phone that Sam had given him.

He decided he'd call Sam anyway. See if he had heard from Dean. He still wanted Sam back with him to help him find the demon that had killed Mary, but he didn't know exactly where Sam lived. And he couldn't go busting into random people's houses looking for him. Plus, he was so close to finding the demon. If Sam didn't know where Dean was, then John would concentrate on the demon for now and wait to track down Dean and kill that little brat later. How dare that worthless piece of scum knock him out and run away!

He would find him eventually. He was positive on that. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Sam's number.

* * *

"I can't do it Sammy!" Dean cried and slammed his fists on the desk. "It's too hard!"

"Dean, learning new things takes time. No one fully understands something the first time they see it. It will take some time but I know you can get it." Sam told him

Jess walked out of the kitchen upon hearing Dean's distress. "Dean, it's alright. It might not make sense at first, but we will help you. You can do this. We can buy some practice books too. I'll sit down with you and help you any time you want." She calmly told him.

'I...I never got to practice anything much with schoolwork..." Dean was directing this to both Sam and Jess but looking directly at Sam "Dad...he...wouldn't let me do my homework..said I was too stupid anyway, only wanted me to hunt. And...I couldn't keep going to school with all the bruises on me...teachers would ask questions and I was afraid they wouldn't understand, I was afraid they'd take you away from me." Dean told Sam

This was the first little bit of insight Sam received from Dean. He didn't explain much of what John did to him, but he was letting them know, he was opening himself up, ever so slowly. "It's okay Dean. It's not your fault. It's his, everything is his fault." Sam told him. He was going to continue but was stopped by the ringing of his cell phone. He saw who was calling and froze.

"Sam...?" Jess asked

"It's my father." He spat

Dean let out a mangled scream and ran into the bed, cowering. "I don't want to go back with him!" He yelled.

Jess saw what was happening and quickly ran to Dean. She wrapped his arms around him and Dean let her. "Shhh, Dean. It's alright. You're not going back to him. Don't worry sweetie." She looked up at Sam. "You have to answer it, let him think that Dean's not here."

Dean then looked up slowly at Sam. His eyes filled with tears and fear.

"Don't worry Dean. I'll make sure he believes that you're not here. You just gotta be very quiet alright?"

Dean nodded and hid his face in Jess's shirt. She rubbed comforting hands over his back, still looking up at Sam.

"Dad?" Sam asked, trying to sound casual.

"Hey, Sam. Do you have any idea where your brother might be?"

"No...Dad...Is he alright? What's going on?" He was proud of his attempt to sound confused

"Oh, nothing. I just sent him on a hunt around in your area and he's not answering his phone. He's just taking a little longer than usual. Wanted to ask if you saw him by any chance. I'm a little worried."

_Like hell you are!_ "No dad, I haven't seen him. But I'll promise to keep an eye out for him. I'm sure he just got caught up in the hunt or something. But let me know if you find him. I'm sure he's fine."

"Yea, me too. You let me know if you run into him."

_Yea, right._ "I will. Bye." He hung up the phone. Anger flashed in his eyes. He had wanted so bad to scream at his father. To tell him that he wasn't going to get away with this, but he couldn't. He needed to sound like he didn't know what was going on. He needed to keep Dean safe.

"Don't worry Dean. He has no idea." And Sam hoped he never would


	5. I'll Always Have You

_Thanks so much for all the reviews! I've been getting a constant good amount of reviews and it makes me so happy! I've never gotten so many on each chapter before! Keep it up! It encourages me to write quicker knowing you guys are enjoying the story!_

* * *

Dean refused to practice for his GED after his father's phone call. He seemed to sink further into his shell, barley talking-even to Sam-mostly responding with nods or shakes of his head.

Sam knew it had to do with their father. Dean could probably hear him on the other end and his voice most likely brought back horrible memories. But it was more than that, Sam could tell. What had happened that night to make Dean like this? He was determined to find out and reverse it.

A week after the phone call Sam found Dean sitting on the couch, holding his legs to his chest. Jess was at work, so Sam assumed this was a good time to discuss things with Dean alone. Sam sat down next to Dean and smiled. Dean glanced at him for a brief moment and then turned his head down again, staring at his knees.

"Dean what's bothering you man? I thought maybe you just needed some time, but you're not getting better. What's wrong?" Sam asked

"Nothing" Dean replied in a quiet, clipped tone.

"It's _not_ nothing Dean. I won't stop bothering you until you tell me. What's bothering you? I tell you everything and I want you to tell me everything, I want you to let me in like I let you."

"I'm a failure." Dean whispered

"Dean! I thought we already went through this! Were you listening to me at all? It's not your fault you couldn't go to school..."

"It's not about school!" Dean said, practically yelling. It was the first time Sam had heard Dean raise his voice since he brought him home. But Dean quickly lowered his voice again. "It's about you."

"What about me?" Sam was beyond confused

"I...I failed you. I promised myself to always keep you safe from the things Dad did to me. To shield you from that horrible stuff he did...and I told you what he did...I let you know what he did to me when I was supposed to protect you from that!" Dean had tears in his eyes now. Sam couldn't believe that all this was about Sam, after all Dean had been through he was still worrying about his baby brother.

"Dean, I _needed_ to know what he did to you. I need to know what a bad man he is so I can protect you. I'm _glad_ you told me Dean. Now we can all watch out for him. Now I know what he truly is. You saved me from believing he was a somewhat decent father, now I know the truth. I needed to know the truth. Plus, I already knew before you told me."

"What?" Dean asked, his voice barley a whisper

"I know it sounds unbelievable. But...it's how I found you. I had a nightmare about you in that building in the same spot you were actually in. Then dad came and...and he _shot_ you Dean. I woke up and I couldn't help but find that building, just in case you were there. And you were there. It was the strangest thing but I'm so glad it happened because I got to save you." He explained

Dean started at Sam with wide eyes and actually kept eye contact. "Thank you. I figured he'd kill me. But...don't you see me as...pathetic now? Not the same older brother you knew but a wimpy man that can't even protect himself?"

"No, no no no Dean! I still see you as the older brother who protected me his whole life, who watched out for me, who raised me! You are not pathetic or a wimp, Dean you're the strongest person I know! To go through all that and to be able to live through it! You're amazing Dean. I just wished you would've told me what he did. I could've called the cops, you could've called them."

"I didn't want anyone taking you away from me." Dean said, this seemed to be the main focus of Deans life- staying with his baby brother to protect him at all times

"No ones going to take me away from you now. We won't ever be separated again."

Dean looked up at Sam with wide, hopeful eyes, begging for what Sam had just said to be true. "You promise me?"

"Yes, I promise you. I'm so sorry I left you with that sick _thing_ to go to college. I asked you to come with me..."

"But I knew if I came, he would have gotten even madder and he would've come after us. He was already furious at me for accepting your decision to go to college and not taking his side. I left with you, he would not stop until I was dead, and that would put you in danger too."

"I know. It's not your fault Dean. I never should have left though." Sam sighed

"You didn't know what was going on. Don't blame yourself."

Sam laughed without humor. "That's good advice Dean, you should take it. Don't blame yourself. But you're my brother, I shouldn't have left you. You're more important to me than anything, I thought you were safe but I was wrong. I promise you I'll never leave again."

Dean nodded and for the first time Sam saw light in his eyes, hope for the future. He _could _fix Dean, he was positive of it now.

Sam smiled and put an arm around Dean. "Hey, how about I teach you to drive? I know how much you love that Impala."

Dean's face fell just a little. Sammy, it's not that I failed the road test over and over like dad said. It was that he never let me take it. Said I had no use for driving."

"I know Dean; I kinda figured it was something like that. Oh, and you will have use for driving. So what do you say? You want to learn?" Sam asked him, his tone light.

"Alright." Dean said and smiled and it made Sam's heart fill with joy knowing that he brought hat smile to Dean's face.

* * *

Dean was much better than Sam ever expected to be at driving. He seemed so at ease in the car, especially the Impala. He would practice hours on end with Sam and made practically no mistakes. Sam realized Dean could take his road test now and pass with flying colors, but Dean wasn't comfortable around people other than Sam and Jess. He would wait until Dean had more socializing skills so he could feel safe in the car with the driving instructor.

It was a week and a half after Sam had talked to Dean and he was really opening up around Jess now. He would walk in from class to find them sitting o the couch together, eating popcorn and making fun of cheesy old movies. Or they would be sitting at the small kitchen table playing a board game or Jess would be helping him study for the GED. Dean was getting much better at that too. Still not good enough to pass, but he was making steady progress and would be able to pass soon.

'Your brother's amazing." Jess told Sam "I never had a just a guy friend that I could tell everything to. I actually have more fun with him than with my girl friends!"

Sam was so happy Jess and Dean had become so close. He had expected them to get along and talk. But they got along so much better than that, they were best friends and Sam couldn't ask for anything better.

Then one day Sam was woken up by a horrible nightmare. He had dreamt that an apartment building where most of his friends lived had caught on fire and mostly everyone had died in the fire. He got out of the bed slowly to not wake Jess up (Dean was now sleeping in the guest room) and grabbed a cup of water. Seeing as how he didn't feel tired anymore he sat on the couch and turned on the news. The cup he held in his hand slipped from his grasp and shattered on the ground.

The apartment in his dreams, it was on fire, for real. It looked exactly how he pictured it in his nightmare.

Sam felt like throwing up. He had _another_ dream that had actually happened, only this time he couldn't save anyone.

Why in the world was he having dreams of people dieing before it happened?

What in the world was going on with him?


	6. Too Bad We Had No Time To Rewind

_Thanks for the great number of reviews you guys have been giving me! Please keep it up, the more reviews I get the more I want to write! You guys are great! So now you get to see how Sam and Dean deal with the visions. And uh-oh! Some John news! Here's the next chapter!_

* * *

Dean had always been a light sleeper. For multiple reasons. Because of their hunting life style, you never know what could sneak up on you. Because of his horrible father, Dean would wake up at the slightest noise, fearing that it would be his dad coming to beat him. And because of Sammy, he always put Sam first and the quietest sound would wake him up, fearing that Sammy was in trouble.

So it was no wonder that Dean woke up when he heard the sound of someone running into the bathroom and throwing up. First Dean was afraid that someone had broken into the house but when he heard the sound of someone vomiting, he then feared it was Sammy. He slowly got out of bed, his healing ribs were still sore, and then rushed over to the bathroom. He saw his huge little brother clinging to the toilet, his head ducked over the bowl. He was no longer throwing up but his body was shaking violently and he was quietly crying.

Dean didn't have to think twice as he hurried over to Sam and wrapped his arms around his brother. Sam seemed dazed and tried to pull away from the grasp. But after about ten seconds he realized that it was Dean who was holding him and willingly let his head fall to Dean's shoulder. Dean started rubbing circles onto Sam's back, trying to get him to calm down so he could figure out what it was that made Sam so upset. He was beyond worried at this point, Sam had always seemed so in control of himself, what was it that made him break down completely?

After five minutes Sam stopped shaking but his hands were still clenched to Dean's t-shirt, a sign that he didn't want Dean to let go.

"Sammy, what's wrong?" Dean asked, and he was surprised at how strong his voice came out. It was laced with fear and worry but also protectiveness and demand. He still sounded like a big brother. Maybe Sam was right, even though Sam knew about Dean's weaknesses and what was done to him; he could still be the big brother.

Sam shook his head violently on Dean's shoulder. "No...nothing..." He choked out, but his voice totally betrayed him, anyone with ears could tell that this was _not_ nothing.

Dean decided to speak out. It was now or never. "Sammy you told me that I can tell you anything right? And I have told you some stuff, other stuff I'm still getting around to. But I _will_ tell you everything that happened. And I want you to tell me. You can tell me anything too. I'm your big brother, I can help you, and I want to help you. Please tell me. You have my trust Sammy. Do I have yours?"

Sam looked up at his brother with wide eyes. Dean's voice sounded different, stronger. Dean was always stronger when it came to protecting Sam. Dean did have his trust, he really did. The reason Sam didn't want to tell Dean about the dreams wasn't because he didn't trust him. He trusted Dean more than anyone else. He just didn't want Dean to worry about him. Dean had enough to worry about, hell; his whole lifetime was spent worrying. Sam just wanted him to take it easy and not have to worry about his little brother's death dreams coming true.

But Sam knew he had to tell Dean no matter what. If he didn't, then Dean would assume Sam didn't trust him and everything would go downhill. Sam couldn't settle for that. So reluctantly, he decided to go ahead and tell Dean.

"You know how I had that dream about you and it actually happened? Well, I mean it was going to actually happen before I got there." He started quietly and when Dean nodded he continued "Well tonight I had a dream about a fire happening in some of my friends' apartment building. It felt so real, not like a normal dream, and that's exactly how the dream with you in it felt."

Dean seemed to sense what was coming. "Sammy...it didn't..."

"Yes! It did! I decided to turn on the news because I couldn't get back to sleep and it was on the news! There was a fire in the apartment just like I dreamt Dean! Not only did I lose some of my friends but I'm having these death-dreams that are actually happening!" He sobbed and felt Dean hug him tighter, whispering soothing things in his ear.

When he felt like he had calmed a bit he continued. "But the thing I don't understand is...in your dream...it was like 10 hours before it actually happened. I had time to save you. This dream happened as the fire was going on or just before it...I had no time..."

"God Sammy, I'm so sorry. So sorry. But it's not your fault. I don't want you going around thinking it is. There was nothing you could do."

Sam nodded but sighed. "What's wrong with me?"

Dean replied with a sigh of his own. "I don't know, but we're going to figure it out okay? It sounds like something supernatural. When you're not in class will look it up alright? Do some research and try to figure out what this is." Dean sounded so calm but the truth was he was flipping out inside. He was beyond worried for his little brother; he had no idea what this was that was going on with him. He never heard of anything supernatural that did this. But he couldn't show how much he was freaking out to Sam; he had to stay calm and brave for him. He had to figure this out. He had to be the big brother.

* * *

Jess had slept through the whole thing. She was a very heavy sleeper, much unlike Sam and Dean. They weren't really all that loud, it was mostly Sam's quiet sobs and Dean's reassuring whispers.

Sam didn't want to tell Jess about the dream. Not yet at least. If him and Dean figured this out and found a way to stop it soon, then what was the point of having her worry about it? And plus she had some big exams coming up and was already stressed out enough; Sam didn't want her even more stressed.

Sam told Jess and Dean later that morning that he was going out of a walk. He needed some time to clear his head and just forget about the dreams for a bit. It was the weekend and he wanted to relax. Sam was happily shocked when Dean asked if he could come with him. Dean never went out of the house unless he was practicing driving with no people around. This time there would be people around and he knew Dean realized it. He was glad that Dean seemed to want to get better, to get used to being around other people. Sam gladly told Dean he could come along; having his brother's company would make it better.

Dean limped along side him as they exited the apartment building, sticking close to Sam at all times. Dean had that limp for years, for so long. Dean had made some story about falling out of a tree and Sam couldn't believe he had bought it back then. He never thought Dean would lie to him, but then again Dean was protecting him all the same.

"Where are we going?" Dean asked trying to stay calm but his quickly roaming eyes gave away his nervousness.

"I don't know, you got any ideas?" Sam asked wanting to make sure they went somewhere where Dean was comfortable.

"Umm, do you think we could walk onto campus?" Dean asked, biting his lip.

Sam was shocked. "Are you sure Dean? There are a lot of people on campus. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." Dean had refused to go to the mall last week to get clothes and the mall was less crowded then campus. Sam went alone and picked out clothes that would fit Dean properly once he was at a healthy weight. They were a little loose on him now, but it was very noticeable that Dean had gained a good amount of weight. He no longer looked like the walking dead, just a little underweight.

"Yea, I want to see where your classes are and stuff. And as long as you're here, I'll be okay."

That last sentence broke Sam's heart. Dean trusted him so much more than he expected. He trusted him to protect him, to keep him safe from anything or anyone that might hurt him. And Sam was going to do _anything_ to keep that trust within Dean. Sam hadn't been there for Dean in the past when he should have, but now things were different, now he would be there for his brother every step of the way.

* * *

Sam showed Dean where all his classes were and where he went to eat when he didn't have time to come home. He showed Dean all the things there were to do on campus, swimming, sports, you name it. And Dean actually looked interested, like someday when he was ready he wanted to go do these things. It was still very noticeable how Dean was scared to be around other people. He stuck close to Sam, always looking around for signs of danger and his breathing seemed heavier than usual. But it was progress. And it was proof. Proof that Dean was letting himself heal, proof that Dean wanted a real life.

They took a break after a while, Dean's leg was bothering him, and they sat down on a bench. Dean seemed to be more at ease when they were staying still and not wandering around.

Sam let Dean just take in all of his surroundings and they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then Dean spoke up.

"Sammy, since you shared something with me, I want to share something with you."

This was not the time Sam wanted to hear what their father did to Dean. He didn't want anymore bad news for the day. But Dean was actually sharing this with him, if he didn't listen now, there may not be another time.

"Go ahead." Sam encouraged Dean.

"Well...you probably already figured this out but Dad's the reason I have to wear glasses. He blamed me for you getting upset one day. You came home angry because you got a C on a test and dad said it was my fault because I must have been bothering you and you didn't have enough time to study. So he said I deserved a big punishment...he...he wanted to blind me Sammy. He poured that crap into my eyes. If it wasn't for you running in and rushing me to the hospital, I probably would have been blind." Dean choked out, tears forming in his eyes. Sam wrapped an arm around him; he could tell Dean wasn't going to let much more out. So he decided to ask him one more thing before he closed up on him.

"God Dean...if I would've known it was him...But I've got you now...he's never going to hurt you again. Did he...did he do something to your leg too?" He asked him cautiously

Dean slowly nodded. "I can't even remember what I did that time. I...think it was something to do with a hunt. He took me out as bait as usual and I got in the way I think, even though I did what he_ told_ me and screwed up the hunt. He pushed me down and slammed his foot onto my kneecap and broke it. He wouldn't let me go to the hospital, that's why it never healed correctly and why I limp." Dean told him and then hid his face in his hands, trying to escape the memory. Sam knew that Dean wasn't going to tell him anything else today but that was alright. He had said more than enough for one day.

"Dean...I'm so sorry...I swear to God if I ever lay my eyes on him again, he's not going to walk away."

Dean took several deep breaths and Sam could feel him calming down. "It's okay Sammy, I'm safe now."

* * *

Little did the brothers know that John Winchester did not believe a word that Sam had told him on the phone and was heading out to find them. He knew when someone was lying, and Sam was _defiantly_ lying. The sick man knew Sam had Dean with him, and John was going to find him and _kill him_.

* * *

_Uh-oh! There's the bad news! But on the other hand, I have a survey question on my user lookup! If you guys could please go vote I would really appreciate it! I just wanted to know if Sam and Dean should eventually tell Jess about the supernatural, or leave her clueless! I'll have it up for a couple chapters so if you could please go there and vote! Thanks! Oh yea, and remember to still review!_


	7. What Comes Up, Must Come Down

_I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story! Keep voting in the poll on the top of my profile! Thank you all so much for your constant reviews! It means a lot to me that you guys are reviewing every chapter! It shows me you still want me to continue and that I'm not upsetting you! Keep it up! Let me know what you think of this chapter! Oh yea, and there's an evil cliffie! Muhahaha!_

* * *

It was two months after Sam rescued Dean and he was healing so well. He still didn't like being around other people, but he was slowly getting better. He had taken his road test, only with the assurance that both Sam and Jess sat in the back seat while the driving instructor was in the passenger. Luckily, the instructor was a nice guy; he was friendly to Dean and didn't ask why a 24 year old was just taking his road test now. Dean easily passed and the instructor informed him that he hadn't made any mistakes, passed with 100. Not many people can do that, and Dean was the first the driving instructor had seen to pass perfectly. Dean smiled brightly when he heard that. It was the first time he had gotten 100 on something. And someone other than Sam and Jess was praising him. He wasn't so stupid after all.

He had also gone to both the eye doctor to get a new prescription and the dentist to fix some of his chipped and cracked teeth. He only agreed to go if both Sam and Jess would be there with him. He already fully trusted Jess and wanted her there as much as Sam, they were best friends. Dean loved Jess like a sister and Jess loved Dean like a brother. Sam remembered back when Dean said that he would ruin their lives. Oh, how wrong he was! He made their lives so much better, they all got along so well, Sam had his brother back and Jess now had a big brother figure, and a best friend.

It was just after Thanksgiving and Christmas time was quickly approaching. Classes would be ending soon and Jess was going to take Sam and Dean up to her parent's house to spend the holidays. Sam had always gone up with her but this year Dean would be coming too and her parents were more then willing to have him come.

Sam was going to go out Christmas shopping and Dean was going to spend time with Jess and go around campus. But before he left Sam asked Dean if he could talk with him outside. Dean was confused but he agreed. Sam looked nervous and anxious and Dean couldn't think of a reason why.

"What's bothering you Sammy?" Dean asked, starting to get concerned

"What? No...nothing's bothering me...kinda...it's nothing bad...it's just I can't decide on something and I need your help." Sam said while fidgeting

It still amazed Dean that he was actually worth something, that Sam and Jess needed his help for things. "Sure, what do you need?" He asked

"I just need your advice. I'm...I'm thinking of...of...umm...well...you see..." He stuttered

"Oh, just get on with it!" Dean moaned impatiently and Sam couldn't help but smile.

"I'm...thinking of proposing to Jess." He blurted out and Dean's eyes went wide and Sam took it the wrong way, somehow not noticing the huge smile that grew on Dean's face as well.

"Well..we have been going out since my freshman year, I'm a junior now. I know it may seem soon, but Dean, you gotta understand that I'm so in love with her and I know she's in love with me too and..." before he could continue rambling Dean shooshed him.

"Sammy, shut up. I think it's a great idea and I know she's going to say yes. I really like her Sammy and I know that she's perfect for you." He told Sam and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Really?" Sam asked

"Yes. You going to buy the ring too while you're out?"

"Yea, we'll all go for a walk later when I get back and I'll ask her then." Sam told him

"_We'll all?_ Sammy, this is only supposed to be a thing for the two of you. Go on with her, I'll be fine."

But this wasn't just about leaving Dean alone. He wanted Dean with them when he asked. "No Dean, I want you there too. I'll need you there for support or else I'll chicken out. I want the whole family there."

Dean's eyes sparkled when he heard the word family. He was going to be part of a family. Him Sam and Jess. And then Sam and Jess would have kids and they would be an even bigger family. An actual family, not a crazy father who hated and beat him, but a family that loved him. "Alright Sammy, I'll come along if you're sure."

"I'm positive." Sam affirmed and didn't miss the look of joy on Dean's face.

* * *

But when Jess went out with Dean around campus, things went differently.

Jess was walking beside Dean and showing him the campus pool and gym when a couple of her friends walked over.

"Hey, Jess!" One of the girls called and Jess waved back.

"Want to meet a couple of my friends?" She asked Dean and Dean just shrugged back

"I guess..." He mumbled, not feeling all that comfortable with the situation, but he didn't want to let Jess down.

The small group came up to Jess and a brunette girl looked over at Dean with a questioning glance.

"What's with this loser I've been seeing you hanging out with?" She asked, not even keeping her tone down even though Dean was right beside Jess.

Dean watched Jess stiffen and he knew this was it. He would always be considered a loser, no matter where he went. Jess didn't want to be embarrassed by him, she had to choose either her friends or Dean and it would be her friends. No way would she ditch all of them for Dean. She would ditch Dean, and refuse to marry Sam because she didn't want to be seen with his loser of and older brother. Either that or Sam would ditch Dean too, marry Jess and leave him alone. He _was_ worthless, what was he thinking that he might be worth something?

But then he heard Jess talk. "_Excuse me?!_" She spat out, her tone anything but friendly. Dean was shocked; she was going to choose his side?!

"Oh, I see who this is now. Sam's brother that he has been talking about isn't it? Wow, never pictured him to be such a loser. Just because he's Sam's brother doesn't mean you have to hang out with Limpy the Loser here." One of the two guys' spoke up.

"What did you just call him?!" Jess yelled, she was outraged. "You don't even know him! He's _not_ a loser! He's an amazing guy! He's not just Sam's brother but he's also my best friend!"

"I thought we were your friends too!" The brunette said back

"Not anymore. Now I see you guys for who you really are. You're the only losers here." She spat at them and then looped her arm around Dean's waist and stormed off. She didn't stop until they exited the building where they sat on the bench outside.

"I'm so sorry Dean! I had no idea they were really like that! I'm not really good friends with any of them except Sandy, the short blonde girl that didn't say anything. I can't believe she wouldn't say anything after they acted that way! I guess she's not such a great person after all. God, I'm so sorry!" She cried and held onto Dean tightly.

Dean wasn't as upset as he thought he'd be when someone made fun of him. He realized that many people would still see him as a loser, but now that didn't really matter to him anymore. Jess was still with him after what those people said about him; she still cared for him and never ditched him. It didn't matter what other people thought of him as long as he still had his Sammy and Jess. As long as he still had his family.

"It's okay Jess." Dean told her truthfully. "It's not your fault at all. As long as I have you and Sam I'm fine. And thanks for sticking up for me and not leaving."

"I'd never leave you Dean! You're my best friend; I'm always here for you! There's no need to thank me!" She told him and then both Dean and Jess were shocked when they heard screaming coming from the building they just left.

"I don't believe you guys! Making fun of the poor guy that you didn't even know! And why? Because he limps, and he's shy?! How could you do such a thing!?" Screamed a female voice.

"You don't agree with us? Them how come you didn't say so before?" Came the guy's voice

"Because I was so much in shock! You know what; none of you are worth my time! I thought you were good people but now I see that you're not! I'm not friends with people like you!"

And then the door slammed open and Sandy came pounding out, her tiny frame heaving with anger.

Jess looked at Dean and he nodded. "Sandy?" Jess called out

Sandy spun around and smiled when she saw Jess and Dean. "I'm so sorry, both of you. I should've said something but I couldn't believe what I was hearing from them, it left me speechless!" She panted, still trying to get her breathing under control.

"It's alright, we heard." Jess smiled back at her

Sandy then took a seat next to Dean and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Sandy's friend Jess. It's nice to meet you." She said with a smile and offered her hand.

"Hi...I'm Dean..." Dean replied quietly and then looked at the offered hand. What would it hurt to shake it? He took her small hand and was surprised by the strong but friendly grip she had.

"How about we all take a walk together and I can get to know you Dean? You seem like a nice guy. And you're cute too." She grinned

Dean blushed he wasn't used to girls calling him cute. But this Sandy girl seemed like she was nice and Dean liked the fact that she too stood up for him even though she didn't know him. So he nodded. "Okay." He told her, his voice not as quiet.

* * *

Dean, Jess and Sandy walked around campus for a couple hours and Dean came to like this girl. She didn't judge him as a loser right away and actually took the time to get to know him. He actually found himself having fun with someone other than Jess or Sam and he was opening up a little to her.

Sam called Jess and asked where they were and Jess told him. Sandy said it was about time she went back to her apartment anyway. She hugged Jess and to Dean's shock she bounced right up to him and hugged him too. Maybe some other people would actually not think of him as a loser too.

Sam made his way to where Jess told him she'd be and walked up to them. Glad to see them chatting and to see a new glow in Dean's face that had not been there before. He wondered what cause it but then realized that it didn't matter. As long as Dean was getting better.

He suggested they walk to the park nearby and he saw Dean smirk at him from the corner of his eye. Sam nervously smiled back; he really hoped this would happen.

Dean sat at the edge of the small pond in the center of the park. Not many people were here and the sun was setting. Dean dipped his feet in the water and watched as Sam and Jess walked on the bridge just a few feet away from him. Sam stopped in the middle of the bridge and Dean grinned happily as he heard Sam say "Jess, I have to ask you something."

Jess squealed with excitement when she saw Sam get down on one knee and pull out the ring case. He opened it and looked into her eyes. "Jess, will you marry me?" He asked.

Jess didn't waste any time responding "Yes! Yes! Yes I will!" She yelled in delight and Sam stood up and placed the ring on her finger. Jess then wrapped her arms around Sam and kissed him.

And kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him.

Dean was starting to get impatient, and pretty disgusted watching his little brother make out for so long. So he walked onto the bridge and tapped his brother's shoulder.

Sam finally stopped and turned to face his brother with tears of happiness falling down his cheeks.

"Congrats bro." Dean told him happily and then they both wrapped their arms around each other in a hug.

"Thanks Dean. I couldn't have done it without you." Sam whispered to him.

"No problem, that's what I'm here for. To help my little brother out."

They pulled away and Dean was immediately grabbed by Jess who practically jumped on him. "I'm going to have a big brother!" She cried in happiness and then gave Dean a peck on the lips before hugging him tightly.

Dean laughed and hugged her back "I couldn't have asked for a better little sister."

* * *

Why of all nights did Sam have to have a vision today? He shot up in bed sweating; he couldn't believe what he'd just dreamt. But it wasn't a dream...it was going to happen. Suddenly he understood why he felt like he was being watched these past couple of weeks. He must have made a loud noise because Jess shot up beside him, asking what's wrong. Sam didn't have time to explain. He leapt out of bed and rushed to Dean's room. Thankfully he was okay, but he wasn't going to be for long unless they got him out of here. He shook Dean awake.

"Dean, we need to get out, now. He's coming." He told him and Dean was wide awake with those words.

Jess looked at Sam, horrified and he nodded back. They started making their way to the door, Dean clutching onto Sam's arm so tightly, he might burst a blood vessel, and Jess with her arms around Dean.

But then the door shattered off its hinges and revealed a very angry John Winchester in the doorframe.

With a shotgun in his hands.

They all screamed at once.


	8. It's Too Late To Fight

_Okay, yes I know this is really short but I wanted to separate this from Sam's point of view and then Dean and Jess's. Since two different things are going on and it's hard to do both of them. I don't want to be switching back and forth. So this is Sam's point of view. The next chapter will be Dean's and Jess's and that one will be longer, you'll find out why! So I hope I can get the next chapter up later today, if not then tomorrow hopefully! Don't worry there is still more fighting to come! Let me know what you think, there's another evil cliffie by the way! Thanks for the amazing amount of reviews you guys! Please keep it up!_

* * *

Sam automatically shielded Dean and Jess and ordered them to run into the bathroom and lock themselves in there. There's no way John can expect people not to come to help them, they had to hear their screams. But then Sam was filled with horror as John pulled the fire alarm right outside their door and stepped inside their apartment. The building was filled with screams, blending in with Sam's and people were running out of the building as fast as they can.

It would stop people in the building from helping them, but the fire trucks and police would be here within five minutes, didn't he realize that?? But Sam quickly found out when John answered his unspoken question, seeming to know what he was thinking from the look on his face.

"I don't plan to be here long." His deep voice spoke "I'm here to kill Dean and leave, should only take a few seconds. Now bring me to him, I won't hurt you or the girl."

And Sam knew what the flaw in John's plan was just then. He thought Sam didn't love Dean. He thought Sam would willingly sacrifice his brother. He didn't know how strong their bond was.

"No!" He screamed "I'll never let you hurt him again! I know what you did to him his whole life you sick freak!"

"Sammy, Sammy, you just don't understand now do you?" John laughed and shook his head, seeming unfazed by Sam's yells.

"Don't call me that!" Sam spat, anger starting to cloud his vision; he slowly started backing up towards the kitchen. There was a knife on the counter and he needed to get it without John noticing and that meant he had to keep talking. "Why did you hurt him so much? He didn't deserve any of that! He never did anything wrong!"

"That's what you don't understand. He did everything wrong. He killed your mother!"

"What are you talking about? Some creature killed her, something supernatural, not Dean! He was an innocent four ear old! How in the world could he make mom burst into flames on the ceiling!" Sam was almost there, so close to the knife, just a few more steps, keep him talking.

"I met the thing that killed your mother! It's a demon, I couldn't kill it. But it informed me that the day it came to kill Mary, it gave one of my son's it's blood. Demon blood. It gave Dean demon blood, he's a demon. The demon wanted him and killed Mary, it's Dean's fault that she's dead!"

"You're believing the words of a demon now?! And how do you know it was Den that got the blood? Maybe it was me! Maybe you should be after me!" Sam was now standing in front of the counter he slowly brought his arm back and grabbed the knife, now he just had to wait for the right moment.

"You're too much like me Sam," John stated

"I'm nothing like you!" Sam yelled, outraged but John just continued on

"You're strong and brave, Dean is stupid and weak. There's no way he can be my son, he's the one that's a demon, a useless demon that deserves to die. The only reason I kept him around so long was to use him to try to lure demon to me. Surely the demon would come looking for his son and then I could kill them both. But that hasn't happened yet, so I might a well kill one of them now." He said and walked over to the bathroom where Jess and Dean were hiding.

This was his chance. He jumped up from behind John and wrapped one arm around his neck, choking him. In the other hand, he held the knife to his eye.

"This is for trying to blind my brother." He told him before plunging the knife into his eye.

Unfortunately John was stronger then Sam thought because even though he got the knife into his eye, ruining it, John was able to throw Sam off of him with a scream, knocking him into the bathroom door.

John yelled, one hand clutching his bleeding eye and the other pointing the shotgun at Sam.

"You move right now or I'll shoot." He screamed at Sam

"Not gonna happen." Sam said back, still dizzy from having his head slam into the door. He was more than ready to sacrifice his life for Dean's. Hopefully the cops would show up before he got to Dean and jess. Where were they anyway?

"Have it your way." John shrugged and pulled the trigger


	9. I Need You Like A Heart Needs A Beat

_Here's the next part in Dean and Jess's point of view! Oh and I'd like to correct a mistake I made two chapters ago. I said Dean was 25 when in reality he would actually be 24 right now and Sam would be 20 since this is before their birthdays the year before Sam started his visions. Just wanted to clear that up, I wanted to get their ages right! Anyway, thanks for all the reviews from earlier on today! I know you guys are anxious to know what happened, so here it is! Leave a review to let me know what you think! Thanks so much!_

* * *

Dean didn't even realize he was being dragged away by Jess into the bathroom. His eyes were locked on the face of his abuser. John's eyes were wild and full of hate and his face was set to kill. Finally he was pulled away from the face as Jess pulled him into the bathroom and locked the door behind them. But there was something wrong with this scene. Where was Sammy?!

"Sammy!" Dean called and leapt for the door, reaching to unlock it. Jess grabbed him before he could even get to his feet and Dean struggled to get out of her grasp.

"Gotta get Sammy!!" Dean cried, arms and legs flailing all over

Jess sighed at how Dean would do anything to protect Sam but hardly cared about his own well being. "Sam's distracting him Dean, so he can stay away from you."

"But he's gonna hurt Sammy! I gotta save him!" Dean cried harder, his whole body wracked with sobs

"Dean, Dean, listen to me okay? You've protected Sam your whole life, now it's Sam's turn to protect you. He's going to be alright Dean. Let him do this for you, he wants to." She soothed him, running a hand through his hair and holding him close. It somehow seemed to work, Dean's breathing evened out but Jess knew that he was still worried.

Now that it was quiet they could both hear Sam and John screaming at each other, and then they both jumped a bit when they heard John scream. Jess held Dean tighter against her, as if willing to shield him from the horrible sounds. She screamed when she heard a loud thud against the door. _Please let that be John that got thrown, please._

Neither of them was expecting what came next, a shot rang out and Sam screamed in pain, blood quickly flowing underneath the crack of the door.

Dean felt his world shatter right then.

"SAMMY!!" He screamed and struggled harder to get out of Jess's hold. His whole body was violently thrashing, kicking out against Jess, willing to get to his brother...

Dean screamed his brother's name over and over, but when he heard John laugh and didn't get a response from Sam he felt his world falling to pieces beneath him.

Sammy was dead. His little brother was dead. He died from the thing Dean had tried to protect him from his whole life. Dean had failed his little brother. His reason for living was gone forever. He felt himself vomit, his body sagging, already the will to live was gone.

Jess cried out when she heard the gunshot, but she had heard John speaking after he shot Sam, unlike Dean who had been blocking everything out around him.

"Now move!" She heard John yell

"No." It was Sam's voice, it was pain-filled and she could barley hear it.

John then laughed and Jess heard a hollow _thunk._ He must have knocked Sam out. Sam wasn't dead. But her relief was quickly swept away when she felt Dean heave and vomit. His body drooped against the floor and he was shivering although he was sweating. And then it hit Jess, Dean thought Sam had died.

"Dean, Sam's not dead! I just heard him talking! Dean!!" She shook his shaking body and got no response. She held his face in her hands and gasped when she saw Dean's eyes. They were devoid of all emotion, staring blankly ahead, seeing nothing. Dean had given up, hid away somewhere in his mind, cut himself away from the rest of the world. His lips were moving quickly but no sound was coming out. Jess could see the word he was forming over and over again, 'Sammy.'

She knew that John was going to break in and try to kill Dean. She was defenseless against a man with a shotgun. They stood no chance unless...

She thought of her plan quickly. It was risky but it was their only hope. She wasn't going to let that man touch her soon to be brother-in-law. A few loud kicks to the door later and John was standing in the doorway fuming.

"Move out of the way and I won't hurt you." She growled at her

Jess put on her best scared helpless girl impression and got to her feet. "O..okay..." She said and started slowly moving towards John and the doorway. But as soon as she got close enough to John she let down the act and her expression changed to anger. John wasn't expecting the change and he didn't have time to react as Jess kneed him in the crotch, his gun dropping as he doubled over in pain. This was exactly what she was hoping for as she swiftly picked up the gun and aimed it at John.

John looked up slowly and his eyes held amusement. "What are you going to do with that pretty little girl? You don't have a clue how to work that thing; you'll blow your own head off!"

Jess paused for a moment, never keeping her eyes off of John. She wanted to kill him so badly, but she knew that Sam and Dean would never want her to commit murder, even if it was their psychopathic father. So she aimed the gun down.

"Funny you say that. Here's a little something no one knows about me. Not even Sam." She cocked the gun to reload it. And smiled as she watched John's face fall in disbelief. "My dad took me deer hunting when I was a kid, I'm an excellent shot."

John started back up quickly, but not quick enough as Jess aimed the gun at his knee and shot, hitting it dead on. John tumbled to the floor and let out a wail of pain.

"That's what you get for breaking Dean's kneecap." She spat at him and finally she heard footsteps rushing down the hall. She sighed with relief when she saw police and ambulance fill the room.

"About time." She panted

* * *

The first thing Sam realized when he opened his eyes was that the police and firemen were finally here. But had they gotten here too late?? He spun his head around quickly, causing a flash of pain throughout his head. He groaned.

"Hey there buddy." A paramedic said at his side "Just take it easy. You were shot in the shoulder and received a pretty big knock on the head. But you're going to be alright." The man then looked at his partner "Get this one loaded up into the ambulance, he needs blood, how's the other one?"

"He doesn't seem to be injured, but he's still non-responsive." The other man answered back

Sam's mind went wild. Dean. What was wrong with Dean? Sam turned his head to find another paramedic and Jess huddled around his brother, who was shaking on the floor. He seemed to be having a panic attack.

Jess turned around and caught Sam's horrified expression. "Sam! He thinks you died! We can't get him to stop!"

Dean thought he died?! "Bring him to me." Sam panted between labored breaths.

"No way kiddo, you need a blood transfusion, we'll fix him up." The paramedic at his side said, already trying to move him.

"Didn't you just hear what she said?!" Sam seethed "My brother thinks I'm dead! No one can fix him expect for me! I need to be there for him, to let him know I'm okay."

"But sir..."

"Bring me my brother!!" Sam yelled it this time and the paramedic realized Sam wouldn't be going anywhere unless he knew his brother was okay. A few seconds later a shaking Dean was placed onto Sam's lap.

"Dean, it's me. It's Sammy. I'm okay Dean, I'm not dead. He didn't kill me, I'm alright." Sam told his big brother and used his good arm to hold Dean close to him. "Come back big brother, I need you here with me. Come back Dean, I love you."

The doctors and policemen watched in amazement and Jess smiled as they saw Dean stop shaking and look up at Sam.

"Sammy..." Dean breathed and his hand reached out to touch Sam's face, as if to feel if he was really there and not his imagination.

"I'm right here Dean." Sam smiled and the next thing he knew he was getting crushed by Dean hugging him with all his strength.

"I love you too Sammy" Dean whispered and then realized Sam was bleeding. "You're hurt." He pointed out, looking up at Sam again.

"I'm going to be fine." Sam reassured him

"We need to take your brother to the ambulance now." One of the paramedics spoke up, seeing that Dean was better.

"Okay." Dean said and reluctantly let go of Sam, knowing he needed medical attention

But before they led Sam away on the stretcher they put him on Dean had one more thing to say. He looked at both Sam and Jess. "Thank you." He told them. John hadn't killed him, they had saved him, and it almost seemed unreal.

"No problem Dean." Sam smiled as he was being led away and watched Jess come up and hug Dean tightly. They would have to stay back to answer some questions.

As Sam was being pulled into the ambulance he saw John being pulled into another one. He saw that he had gauze wrapped around his knee. _Had Jess done that? Cool._ But then Sam looked up into John's now one eye and shook under the gaze he was giving him.

"I'll be back. I'll find away out, you'll see." John seethed at him and then the doors of his ambulance closed. Sam could feel the truth and determination in those words. Maybe John would come back. But Sam knew that if he did, he wouldn't be leaving in an ambulance, he'd be dead by the hands of Sam himself.

Sam tried not to dwell on the fact that John might return to haunt them and the fact that this demon that killed their mother was still out there. Right now all that mattered was John was going to jail and Dean and Jess were safe. He smiled as he realized he had kept his promise to Dean, he hadn't let John lay a finger on him. Dean was alive and safe and now that John was going to be locked up, they could move on with their lives and continue the process of healing Dean.

* * *

_Yay! I got this chapter up today too! I hope you liked it! Tell me your thoughts and feelings on this chapter! Did you like the way it turned out and how they stopped John? Did you like how I didn't kill Sam? Was Dean's reaction realistic to thinking Sam died? Oh, and just to let you know, this isn't the end of the story. It may seem like it, but it's not. I've still got to heal Dean more and Sam's vision of Jess on the ceiling had yet to happen! And John might not be gone for good... Still much more to write!_


	10. You're My Life

__

Sorry for the delay in posting! I just moved into my dorm! Anyway not that much happens in this chapter action wise, but you'll get to see Dean tell Sam something very important! Let me know what you think of it please! Thanks for all of the reviews! I would have replied to them individually but my e-mail is set up differently up here.

* * *

Sam smiled as he drove the Impala to Jess's parent's house for Christmas. He realized that this was the first real Christmas Dean would have. They never celebrated the holidays when they were kids because of their father and how he was always hunting. And in truth, Sam had never had a real Christmas either, sure he had celebrated it with Jess and her family, but it wasn't Christmas without Dean. So this year would be the first real Christmas for both of them.

"Sammy, put this one in." Dean said from the backseat and shoved a cassette in his face. Sam had gone out and bought tons of cassettes with classic rock music on them which he knew Dean loved. He gave them to Dean as an early Christmas present and Dean was in his own little world flipping through the tapes. Sam had now officially handed the Impala to Dean to keep. Sam bought his own car but Dean insisted on driving the Impala because he wanted to listen to his new music, and Sam's car didn't have a cassette player in it. It only had a "lame CD player" as Dean called it.

Sam faked a sigh and grabbed the CD player from Dean's hand. His shoulder was healing well and it didn't cause him any pain to drive. He popped the cassette tape in and spared a look in the rear view mirror. Dean had leaned back, arms behind his head and closed his eyes; he started tapping a beat to the music and humming. Sam smiled, Dean was now in his zone and you don't dare mess with Dean Winchester when he is in the zone.

They finally arrived at Jess's parent's house and were instantly greeted by Jess's mom rushing out of the door. Her mother was about Jess's height and had the same wavy blonde hair. She didn't even have any grey hair that Sam could tell. She almost looked like she could be Jess's older sister because she took such good care of herself.

Jess, who had just woken up was immediately attacked with a huge hug from her mother. Sam and Dean both got out and a few moments later Sam was stuck in the same embrace. Then suddenly she pulled away from him.

"Oh Sam sweetie, I forgot about your shoulder! I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?" She asked him with a concerned look on her face.

"Don't worry about it mom, I'm fine. Really. It's healing real well." Sam assured her

"Alright if you say so." She smiled and turned around to face Dean "There's my Dean! Well just don't stand there! Come over to me and give me a hug!" She said urgently and Dean smiled shyly as he walked over to the excited mother.

Jess's mom had met Dean when her and her husband rushed over to Stanford after they heard about what had happened. Dean had been afraid that Jess's parents would blame him for their father's behavior that night. But they instantly hovered over Dean just like they had with Sam and Jess. They heard all the stories about Dean and how he was such a sweetheart from Jess over the phone and they already felt like they knew him and had to protect him. They informed Dean that it was not his fault at all for what happened that night and they were just so glad that everyone was okay. They helped the group of three move into their new apartment and Sam, Jess, and had Thanksgiving in the newly furnished apartment.

Jess's father came out and sighed.

"Penny!" He called out to his wife "Are you ever going to let go of them and invite them inside! They must be freezing!"

"Of course I'm going to let them inside Chris!" She yelled back and Sam just had to smile at how it felt like family, like he was actually part of a whole family.

* * *

Sam woke up early the next morning on Christmas Eve. Ever since the incident with his father, he hadn't been able to sleep very well and always woke up early. He thought that maybe now that he was away from the place it happened, he could sleep better but apparently that wasn't the case. Sam shuffled into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and jumped when he heard footsteps approach him. He quickly spun around but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was just his brother.

"Hey." Dean told him, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes "Sorry I scared you."

"No, its fine Dean, I'm just still jumpy after well...you know... "Sam trailed off, not wanting to bring the topic up again "You want some coffee?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Sure." Dean told him as he limped over to the kitchen table and sat in one of the chairs.

"So...why are you up so early?" Sam asked his brother

Dean shrugged "Couldn't sleep very well, haven't since..." Dean swallowed and shuddered

Sam walked over to Dean and put a hand on his shoulder offering nonverbal comfort "Me either, guess that makes two of us.

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while as Sam handed Dean his coffee. Sam watched as Dean drank it gratefully, his hands shaking as he did so.

Sam didn't know if he should question his older brother's behavior but decided he would. He wanted to know if something was bothering Dean.

"Dean, everything okay?" Sam asked and Sat down at the table next to him.

Dean put down his coffee which was half gone and looked at Sam directly in the eyes and Sam was blown away by the amount of trust he saw in Dean's eyes. "Actually Sammy, it's kinda the opposite. I...Can we...can we talk for a little bit?"

"Yea Dean! Of course!" Sam told him eagerly. Dean hadn't shared any of his memories with Sam since their father came. He was more than willing to listen to Dean tell him anything he needed to. He wanted to be there for his brother to help him through everything.

"Can we go outside or something? I just...want it to be me and you if that's okay." Dean asked him while looking at the ground

"Sure we can. I understand Dean. Let's go into the backyard." He told Dean

They walked out into the warm Arizona air, Sam walking slowly to keep with his heavily limping brother. They stopped under a tree and sat down. Sam patiently waited for Dean to start talking.

After about a minute Dean drew in a shaky breath "I..I don't know where to start."

"It's okay Dean. Take your time." Sam said, confused on what Dean wanted to tell him

"It's just...It's hard to tell you..." Dean mumbled

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to Dean, you know that right. I don't want you to feel forced to tell me anything you don't want to. But I am here for you Dean; I'll listen to anything you have to say." Sam tried reassuring his nervous brother

"No. I want to tell you." Dean took another deep breath and just decided to drop the bomb. "Sam, when we were growing up and dad was beating me, I thought I was completely worthless, a waste of space. I...when I got older, when I was about 15...I started having thoughts of...of killing myself, and they weren't just small thoughts, they were really strong thoughts." Dean saw Sam instantly pale but he had to continue this now or he was afraid he would never be able to again "I...I was going to do it. I was actually going to do it once you graduated from Stanford, and I knew you had gotten a new life. A life far away from dad. Because then, you would have a brand new life, you would be safe and you wouldn't need me anymore. My job would be done. The only thing that kept me from doing it earlier was you...I had to protect you. Even when you came to save me, I was still going to do it. I didn't think you needed me. Once I knew you were safe from dad I was going to run away, leave you a note saying that I love you and shoot myself in the head." He paused for a moment to regain his composure; he was so close to breaking down. But then he felt Sam's arm wrap tightly around him and he looked at his little brother. Tears were running freely down his face and he was shaking.

"Dean...Dean, please don't. I love you, I need you." Sam desperately told Dean and Dean realized that Sam thought he was still going to kill himself. Now that he was safe from their father, Sam thought Dean was going to commit suicide.

"No...Sammy wait. I'm not done. That's the thing. You saved me Sammy. You and Jess. Being here with you guys and living with you, I saw that you guys actually cared for me, really wanted me around. I found out that I was loved and that I'm not worthless, that I can have a life. I found out that you still thought of me as the protective big brother no matter what. I realized that I could be loved by other people too, that people other then my brother care about me and want to be around me. I'm not as stupid as I once thought I was, I can do things I never thought I'd be able to do. I'm free to live my own life with people that love me. You saved me Sammy, you and Jess. Maybe later we can sit down with Jess and tell her too because I want her to know. You both showed me that my life is worth living, and all thought of suicide are gone now Sammy. I want to thank you so much for that."

Dean was instantly rewarded by Sam pulling him into his arms tightly. Dean hugged him back, grateful that he had such an amazing little brother.

"I love you Dean, don't you ever forget that. You're the greatest big brother in the world." Sam sobbed, he had been able to stop his brother from doing something so horrible, and he couldn't believe it. He was so grateful for that dream vision that had allowed him to save his brother's life as well as his own in so many ways. He didn't know what he would do without Dean, and after spending so much time with him these past few months, getting to know each other after being apart for two years, he knew he couldn't live without his big brother.

"I love you too Sammy. And don't worry. I won't forget it ever again; you more than proved it to me. Couldn't ask for a better little brother."

And Sam knew they would have some more tough times coming up. Dean did still have to open up to Sam a bit more, they still had yet to determine John's jail sentence. But right now, everything was perfect in the world.


	11. Jitters and Hookups

_Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing! Lots of stuff is going to happen in these next three chapters so get ready! Oh and I'm going to start my new story soon! Don't forget to vote in the poll! Whatever gets the most votes wins! _

* * *

Dean, Sam and Jess all had a wonderful Christmas. In addition to the tapes Sam already got Dean, he also gave Dean a leather jacket and an amulet he found in a store a while ago. "I found this shopping one day a little while after I moved into Stanford." Sam had told Dean "The store clerk saw me looking at it and explained to me that the amulet stands for safety and love. I bought it then, wanting to give it to you to show you that I love you and that I want you to stay safe. But I never saw you after I moved in. I know it seems cheesy but I want you to have it."

But Dean hadn't found it cheesy at all. He told Sam that he loved the gift. He treasured it dearly and never took it off.

Jess had given Dean a bunch of things to put in his new car and also gave him his very own laptop. Dean seemed upset though, looking at all his gifts. Even Jess's parents gave him money and Dean didn't have anything before to spend on gifts.

"Dean, it's fine. We didn't want you to give us anything." Sam had reassured him

"But…I did give you something, you and Jess…it's just nothing special. I didn't pay for it or anything."

"Dean, just because you didn't buy something doesn't mean it's not special. Some of the greatest gifts aren't bought." Jess had told him and Sam agreed

"It's just…you both mean so much to me, and I suck trying to tell you so I wrote it down. You both saved me from my father and from killing myself. I owe you so much more." And then Dean had handed them both a neatly folded sheet of paper. They opened it and were both brought to tears by what they read. Dean had completely opened up to them in this letter. Not only did he tell them how much he loved them and cared for him, but he also told them some of the stuff his father did to him, not much, but it was something. He wrote how happy he was to finally have a family that cared and wanted him around, and how excited he was for his future.

Both Jess and Sam embraced Dean after reading the letter, crying tears of joy. They told him it was the best present either of them had ever received, and that was the truth.

* * *

It was now a week and a half later and Dean was coming out of a building after taking his first attempt at passing the GED. Sam had ridden with him here as an offer of support and Dean would never admit how much it truly helped him. Sam was waiting patiently for Dean to be finished and spent the hours grocery shopping nearby and stopping at the local library to get his homework done. He was now waiting in the car and smiled when he saw Dean limping over to the car. He watched his older brother come around the car and slip into the driver's side. He let out a huge breath.

"So, how do you think it went?" Sam asked him

"Well, I can't be sure but I think I did pretty good. It wasn't too hard." Dean informed him and Sam noticed that his hands were slightly shaking from nervousness

"I bet you did great Dean. You were acing the practice exams this past week." Sam praised him and put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him

"I hope you're right." was Dean's reply. He leaned back in his seat and lifted up his glasses to rub his eyes with his unsteady hands. It was obvious that he was stressed out.

"Dean. Just relax. It's no big deal if you didn't pass even though I'm confident that you did. If you didn't then you can take it over again as many times as you want until you pass. Did they say when the results would come in?" Sam asked him

"Umm…they said about a week." Dean said and then added as a thought 'Great, right before my birthday.' Not that his birthday was a big deal anyway. He never thought anything of it and he's sure Sam won't remember it; he has better things to worry about. But still, it would be nice to have Sam and Jess celebrate his birthday with him, go somewhere to eat or something. But he realized that Jess didn't even know when his birthday was, he never told her and he's sure Sam wouldn't have told her. Oh well, he can dream can't he?

"Dean. If you're not going to relax then I'm going to be forced to drive. I'm not letting you drive with your hands shaking so bad." Sam warned and watched Dean sit up straight in his seat immediately and glare at Sam with playful anger written on his face.

"Uh-uh. Don't you even _dare_ say that again! I'm not having you drive my baby again! Do you know how dirty you got her on Christmas?! I had to spend _hours_ caking off the mud from your reckless driving!" Dean told him and Sam's plan worked. He got Dean's mind off the subject of the GED and onto his car. It was crazy how attached Dean was to this thing already. Sam thought it was bad when he yelled at him for the little bit of mud but when Dean started calling the Impala 'his baby' Sam knew he was over the line.

Sam just laughed at Dean's annoyance as Dean started up the car and they drove away and Sam didn't fail to notice the twinkle in Dean's eyes whenever the engine started.

* * *

**One Week Later**

Dean was practically bouncing off the walls with frustration these last couple of days, eager to get his test results. And it was also because next week would be John's court hearing and they would find out what sort of sentence he would get. There was barley a moment where he wasn't fidgeting or pacing around the apartment. Sam didn't know what to do to get Dean to settle down, but luckily Jess had a plan.

The three of them have been hanging out with Sandy a lot and Jess could tell that Dean had feelings for her. It was the cutest thing watching Dean blush when she hugged him and laugh when she said a joke. And Sandy liked Dean, she said he was such a sweetie and Jess wanted to hook them up so bad. Maybe today would be the day, she knew Dean was too shy to ask Sandy out but maybe Sandy would ask him, knowing how shy he is. She told Sam her plan to invite Sandy with them to go see a movie and then pretend that she wasn't feeling well and needed some fresh air and Sam would go with her. That would then leave Sandy and Dean would have time alone. Maybe they would just talk but Jess really hoped Sandy would take this time to maybe ask Dean on a date. That was her plan.

"Hey Dean!" She casually said sitting down on the couch next to a jittery Dean.

"Hmm?" Dean mumbled and turned to face Jess with huge eyes, his hands gripping the coffee mug he was holding like it was his lifeline.

Jess smiled and pulled the coffee mug from Dean's hands and had had to hold Dean back from lunging for his coffee. "You mister, have had _way_ too much coffee. How many cups have you had anyway?" Jess asked him, eyeing him sternly.

"Umm uhh four, five? When I get anxious I don't sleep much and when I don't sleep much I need coffee."

"Well you should try getting some sleep because I think we should go out tonight. What do you say? We could ask Sandy if she wants to come and we can go see a movie." She informed him while slipping an arm around his shoulders in an attempt to calm him a bit.

"Sandy's coming?" Dean asked and seemed to look a little more coherent.

"I'll call her and ask. I'm sure she'll want to come. You like her don't you Dean?" She said gently

"What?! No..no..I mean I do but…" Dean stuttered and it made Jess laugh.

"Dean, it's okay if you like her. I think it's really cute. You can admit it to me Dean, don't worry I totally approve big brother."

Dean smiled at the use of 'big brother'. "I…guess I do like her. But…she wouldn't like me."

"What are you talking about Dean? She thinks you're sweet. Any girl would be lucky to have a guy like you." She truthfully told him

"Will you call her?" Dean asked hopefully

"Yep, I'll call her right now." Jess told him and dialed Sandy's cell number.

"Hey Jess! What's up?" Sandy asked in her bubbly voice

"Hey Sandy. I was just wondering if you wanted to come with Sam, Dean and I to go see a movie later on today."

"Sure! Hey do you mind if I bring a new friend of mine along?" She giggled

"Yea, it's not a problem." Jess told her. She wondered who this new friend of Sandy's was. Sandy never introduced her to anyone lately "Do you want to meet at our apartment or yours?"

"We could walk over to yours. What time and movie?"

"Umm how about the 8:00 showing of that new comedy?"

"Sounds good to me. We'll see you then. Can't wait for you guys to meet my new friend! See you then Jess!" Sandy laughed and hung up

"Hey Dean, Sandy said she could make it and she's going to bring a friend." Jess told Dean who was looking at her anxiously

"Cool." Dean said and couldn't fight the happy smile that was forming on his face. "Who's this friend? Is it someone I know?" He asked, he was still uncomfortable with new people.

"I don't even know who it is. She said it's a new friend she wanted to introduce us to. Now why don't you get some sleep before we go?" She told him and ruffled his light brown hair

"Alright." Dean said and grinned. It made Jess so happy to see Dean in such a good mood.

* * *

Dean was just finishing putting gel into his hair to spike it up and took a good look at himself. He was that he asked Sam to pick up some hair gel from the store; he liked how it looked on him. His clothes actually fit him because he was actually at a normal healthy weight. He was always so skinny and now he actually looked normal. He didn't look like such a loser anymore he decided. And these new glasses he got a while ago really fit his face well. But he still wore a long sleeved shirt to hide the scars he had from his father's beatings.

The doorbell rang and Dean slowly limped out of the bathroom and into the main room. There was no point in trying to hide his limp anymore, Sandy already saw it. Plus it wasn't like he had much control over how badly he limped. Jess went to open the door and Sam walked in from his bedroom and stood beside Dean.

"Hey Sandy!" Jess smiled and hugged her friend

"Hey Jess!" She said and then walked into the room and smiled and Sam and Dean. "Hey Sam Hey Dean!"

Sam and Dean both greeted her and she hugged the both of them. Then she turned back to the door where a young blonde man was standing.

"Josh, this is my best friend Jess, her fiancé Sam his brother Dean. You guys, this is my new boyfriend Josh."

Sam and Jess both took a deep breath; _this was not good, _and turned to see Dean's reaction.

But Dean had already left.


	12. Everything's Gonna Be Alright

_Here's the next chapter! I know the last chapter was really sad. I got a whole bunch of reviews saying either 'Awww' or 'Poor Dean!' I hope this chapter has you reviewing much happier things! Haha. I can't keep Dean so upset for too long now can I? I hope you guys enjoy this happier chapter and thanks as always for reviewing and reading! I love writing this story! Next chapter will tell what John's sentence will be and might also start Sammy's Jess visions! But I might leave that for the chapter after the next! So before I get into all that stuff, I hope you enjoy this fluff-filled chapter! Oh yea, and its a thousand words longer, for those of you who wanted longer!_

* * *

Sam immediately ran through the house to find his brother, not even bothering to tell their guests what was going on. He heard Jess say something that sounded like "Can you guys wait a minute?" and then Jess was beside him in an instant, also frantic to find Dean. Sam didn't even have to look at her to know she feared the same thing he was. _What if Dean is going to attempt suicide?_ They both heard Dean say that all thoughts of suicide were pushed from his mind, but what if this little mishap now pushed him back in his healing process? Pushed him so far back that he was now thinking of suicide again?

They sprinted down the narrow hall and saw that the bathroom door was wide open, light on, and inside the room was Dean, crying. Sam glanced around the room and was relieved to see that there were no guns, knives, or pill bottles lying around or in Dean's grasp. Dean was just sitting there, in the corner against the tub, with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. His head was hiding in his knees and he was letting out quiet, painful sobs that caused both Sam and Jess's heart to break.

It was strange seeing Dean so broken like this. Before it seemed like it fit because Dean had seemed so weak, so skinny, and so timid. But now Dean was stronger both physically and mentally, he was a normal healthy weight and he was much more open to Sam and Jess. This must be a big deal for Dean if he reverted to cowering in a corner while sobbing. Dean had been getting so much better, when he had cried lately it was just a couple of tears that he would wipe away hastily and either Sam or Jess was there to help him, to make his troubles go away. But now Dean was full blown sobbing even if he was doing it ever so quietly and Sam feared that Dean had taken steps back in his recovery. He didn't know how he and Jess could heal Dean's broken heart.

But Sam wouldn't give up without trying his hardest, he knelt down beside Dean and Jess did the same on the other side of him. Dean seemed unaware of their presence so Sam gently put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get the shaking to stop. However Dean just curled more up into a ball and shook harder, his body wracking with spasms. The action hurt Sam and sent a pang of pain shooting to his heart, he felt like he had just been ripped apart. Why was Dean pulling away from him? Does he not trust him anymore? Sam's heart was already broken seeing Dean like this, he didn't need anymore pain to his heart. You can't break Dean's heart without breaking Sam's as well.

"Dean. It's me, Sam. It's just me and Jess." Sam told Dean and couldn't stop his voice from shaking. He couldn't bear the thought of Dean not trusting him anymore.

"I...know..." Dean said in-between sobs and Sam felt his heart shatter with those words. Dean knew it was Sam that was here and yet he was pulling away from him, not trusting him. But then Dean seemed to calm his sobs down and was able to get out another sentence. "I know...I want you guys to go...have fun..." Slowly Sam felt his heart repair itself, the shattered pieces coming together. It wasn't that Dean didn't trust him, it was that Dean didn't want to ruin his day, didn't want to be a burden. Still, Sam's heart wasn't back in one piece though, it still had pieces of it that were falling apart and the only way to repair it completely was to repair Dean's heart.

"Dean, it won't be fun without you there. And I'm not going if you're not. I don't want you to come if you don't feel like coming. Dean...I'm so sorry man, I know how you feel about her..." Sam told his brother and put his hand on Dean's shoulder once again. He was glad when Dean didn't pull away. Then he slowly looked up at Sam and Sam's breath hitched in his throat. Dean's eyes were red and puffy, tear streaks running down his face but the most haunting thing was the look in Dean's green eyes. They were full of sadness, sorrow, regret and most of all, shame. It was almost too much for Sam to look at.

"Don't be sorry...shouldn't have gotten my hopes up...should've known..." He mumbled, a couple more tears escaping from his eyes.

"Should've known what Dean?" Jess asked, coming into the conversation and Sam saw tears in her own eyes as well. She reached over and grabbed a box of tissues from the counter. She pulled one out and began wiping Dean's eyes, cleaning up the tear tracks with gentleness and affection.

"Should've...should've known she'd never want...guy like me...didn't even know what dad did to me and she still doesn't like me...worthless..."

"Dean!" Both Sam and Jess yelled at the same time and before Sam could say anymore Jess spoke up "Don't you dare say that you are worthless! You said yourself that you discovered you are not worthless while living with us. Dean sweetie, I know it seems hard, but you'll be okay. Sandy might not go out with you but she is still your friend isn't she? She likes you Dean she really does, just not in that way. I know it sucks and I wish that she would feel the same way but there is nothing you can do. All you can do it get up and go on with life. I know it hurts so much but you will find other girls that you like Dean, and one day a girl will feel the same way you do. You can't always get it right on the first time." Jess explained to him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.

Now it was Sam's turn. "Dean, I know how it feels, your first real broken heart. You remember my senior year and that girl that would come over and we'd do homework together?" Dean nodded "Well she was a good friend of mine and I had the hugest crush on her, didn't tell you though because I thought you'd make fun of me. Well I even thought I loved her. I was so head over heels for her and then one day she came up to me in school all excited and told me she had a boyfriend, a guy who was my best friend at the time." Sam saw Dean's eyes go wide with curiosity and sadness for his brother "I let it bother me way too much, my grades slipped a bit and I was always angry. I thought I'd never find someone I'd like as much as her again; I thought she was the one for me. But as you can see, she obviously wasn't. You'll find someone who is right for you Dean just like I did." He said and smiled up and Jess who smiled back.

Dean looked at both Sam and Jess, his eyes wide. That's what had been going on with Sam and why his grades slipped and he got a C on that one test. That's when his father had tried blinding him because he thought Dean was the cause of Sam's slip. But it was a girl that caused Sam's distress.

Sam seemed to realize this the same time that Dean did. He let a girl get to him all that time ago and it ended up with Dean almost getting blinded. "Oh God Dean...I'm so sorry..." Sam choked

"Don't be." Dean said, regaining his composure. "It wasn't your fault; you didn't know that Dad would blame it on me. I'm fine, he didn't blind me, and you saved me that day." Dean kept looking back and forth between Sam and Jess. Sam had a horrible broken heart, even worse than Dean's, the girl Sam liked had picked Sam's best friend over him. Sam had also been betrayed by his best friend in addition to a broken heart but Sam moved on. He found the girl of his dreams; a girl that cares about him as much as he does about her, a girl that is Dean's best friend. Dean slowly finds himself smiling, Sandy pushed to the back of his mind, she wasn't the right girl for him. Maybe, just maybe one day he will find a girl that is meant for him. But even if he never does, he still has his brother and his friend and he figured as long as he has them, he can survive anything.

Sam watched his big brother smile and he knew that everything was going to be okay. He breathed a sigh of relief and allowed his heart to heal completely.

* * *

Dean woke up and slowly his mind remembered what day it was. January 24th. His birthday. He sighed sadly, the likelihood of Sam remembering his birthday was pretty low. This past week had been hectic for all three of them seeing as John's court hearing was scheduled for next week and plus Sam and Jess both started their new classes and had a load full of homework and studying these past couple days.

_Oh well, not like I'm that important anyway._ Dean thought. His birthday wasn't worth wasting the time to celebrate. Anyway, they had just gone out last week. Dean decided to go to the movies anyway even with Sandy and her boyfriend. They just explained that Dean hadn't been feeling too great and had run to the bathroom to throw up. Sam had told Dean that he didn't have to come, they would stay home, but Dean insisted. He had to get over the fact that Sandy had a boyfriend. They missed the showing they were originally going to and Dean felt horrible for that. But everyone told him it was fine, they'd go out to eat and catch the next showing.

Dean actually found himself having a good time. He thought he would feel left out because there was two couples and he was the only single one. However, he didn't feel left out at all because of Sam and Jess; all three of them seemed to be like three thirds of a pie. They're complete and whole when they're together, but when you take one away they become incomplete. Sam and Jess don't ever leave Dean out of anything, the three of them fit together so well, they're always together and you'll rarely see a time when it's not the three of them. When people see them walking down the street they don't think 'Sam and Jess the couple and the tagalong Dean', they think 'Sam, Jess and Dean-friends as well as family.'

Dean really did have a great time; Sandy was still his friend and didn't treat him any different. And her boyfriend wasn't a bad guy either, he was actually pretty cool. Dean found himself feeling happy for her. But since they went out last week and spent a lot of money Dean was positive that nothing special would be done on his birthday. Not that he cared; he just simply wanted a 'Happy Birthday Dean' to come out of Sam and Jess's mouths. But the odds of that were low; Dean remembered that Sam forgot his birthday a number of times when they were growing up. He didn't blame Sam on it; Sam was busy with school and friends. Even though Sam would realize it the next day or a couple of days later and feel horrible about it, Dean was just glad Sam had remembered that Dean's birthday had passed.

So Dean got up, showered, shaved, brushed his teeth and went out into the living room where he saw Jess studying on the couch. He was about to go back to his room because he didn't want to disturb her we she looked up and grinned.

"Hey Dean! You're up early." She told him and put her book down.

"Yea, so are you. What are you studying for?" He asked and decided he wouldn't bother her studying too much if he just sat beside her on the couch.

"Oh, I was just looking up stuff to write my next paper. Ugh, being a journalism major you have to write so much crap!" She groaned

Dean smiled "Huh, bet Sammy would love that, he never gets tired of writing it seems like. One time he had to write a 2 page paper his junior year of high school but he ended up making it seven pages long. That's not counting the title page and the references. He actually got marked down because he wrote too much, he told me the teacher said he was 'too scientific' in his writing." He laughed

Jess cracked up upon hearing that information. "Hah! That goes to show him being an overachiever isn't always so great! I never go beyond the required number of pages, I'd actually be lucky to go half a page beyond. I'm nowhere near as smart as your brother."

Dean laughed. "Don't worry about that, no one is."

Jess cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips together; it seemed to Dean she was holding back a smile. "Now I wouldn't be too sure about that. I think your right up there with him.

Dean rolled his eyes but before he could argue Sam popped up from behind the couch, nearly giving him a heart attack.

"Happy birthday Dean!" Both he and Jess said at the same time and Sam handed him an already opened envelope. Dean took one look at it and knew what it was. His GED scores, they'd finally come in. But what if he failed? Looking at the smiling faces of Sam and Jess, and the fact that they were giving it to him on his birthday, he figured that failing it was probably out of the question. He took a deep breath, pulled out the sheet of paper and looked at it. He was overwhelmed by what he saw.

He didn't just pass. He aced it. All of his scores in every subject were very close to the perfect mark, he got nearly everything right.

"Is...are you sure this is...mine?" He asked, starting to feel lightheaded.

"Yes it's yours! Look at the name on the sheet! 'Dean Michael Winchester' you did it bro, I knew you could do it! And you did so well too! Dean your scores are amazing!" Sam smiled and hugged his brother proudly. He was so glad that Dean had passed.

"Those scores give your brother a run for his money!" Jess laughed and she too hugged Dean. "They actually came in yesterday, but we wanted to save them for today. For a surprise for your birthday."

"So this means...I can like...go to college?" Dean asked, it would be cool to go to college.

"Yep, Dean. You can do whatever you want. You could even enroll for the winter semester if you want. It's not too late." Sam smiled at him and patted him on the back.

"What if I don't know what I want to go into?" Dean questioned.

"That's alright Dean, you can go in undecided and explore different majors. Find out what you like to do." Jess told him

Dean just stared at the paper and his certificate for a moment. He had passed and they had also remembered his birthday. It was amazing. "Thanks, thanks you guys. For everything. And for remembering my birthday."

"Of course we'd remember your birthday! I'd always remember these past two years January 24th was the day Sam would be constantly calling your phone leaving voicemails telling you to have a good birthday." Jess smiled

"I'm sorry I forgot before Dean. I was stupid back then, careless. I'll never forget again, you'll see." Sam told him "And your birthday's no where near over yet." Sam said and pointed to the suitcases lying on the ground behind the couch that had been hidden from Dean's view. "You better pack your bags Dean."

"What? Where are we going?" Dean asked, utterly confused

"Sam always told me you wanted to go to this one place. So we booked a three day vacation." Jess smiled

"We're going to the Grand Canyon Dean. Just like you've always wanted. I never forgot." Sam said

Dean was so overwhelmed, he felt like he was going to cry from joy. But he couldn't cry right now, he'd done too much crying these past few months. So he settled for hugging Sam one more time.

"Thank you Sammy." He whispered, his throat closing up on him

Dean would always remember his 25th birthday, and the few days that followed and how they were some of the best days of his life.


	13. Is This How It Ends?

_Thanks for all the reviews you guys are such dedicated readers and I want to thank everyone you always reviews on every chapter! You guys rock! Oh yea, it would be awesome if you could check out my new story called 'Breaking Point' and review it! I really want to know what people think and if they like it before I continue! Thanks!_

_Okay so a lot happens in this chapter! Don't get used to the feeling of happiness and safety that was in the last chapter because it doesn't exactly stay that way! Muahaha! I am evil in this chapter and to top it all off, there is an evil cliffy! I couldn't stop writing, and I've been looking forward to posting this chapter since I thought of this story! Tell me what you think and feel free to yell at me for being evil! Haha! Enjoy!_

* * *

Sam glanced over to his brother sitting beside him and sighed. Dean's face was a ghostly white and every time he breathed in he shook, he was panting slightly and sweating. His eyes darted around the room quickly, on the lookout for one person-their father. Today was John's hearing, today was the day they would find out what type of sentence he got.

Sam knew their father would enter the room at any minute with his lawyer and surrounded by police officers. Sam wished he had graduated already so he could stand as Dean's lawyer, but he was still just a junior in college so they had to hire one. Sam put a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder to try to calm him and he smiled when he saw Jess put her arm around him from Dean's other side. Their contact with him seemed to work as Dean's breathing evened out and he seemed to compose himself.

_Sammy's here, Jess_'s _here, I'm safe. Everything's going to be fine. He won't hurt me again._ Dean ran these thoughts through his head and when John finally did show up he didn't even wince. John gave him a death glare and practically snarled at him but Dean just glared right back which seemed to shock John. He wasn't used to Dean being this strong. But Dean had his Sammy, his Jess, his _family_ and John had absolutely nothing. They would get through this and prove John guilty.

Dean took the stand first, and was asked how often his father beat him.

"Everyday." Dean answered "Well, almost everyday…there were some days when he didn't come home at all. So those days I was safe. But every time he was home I would get beat. He would think of any ridiculous reason it seemed. Blame me for something that happened months ago that wasn't my fault at all."

"What were some of the beatings he did to you? If you feel comfortable telling us that is." The judge asked him

Dean took a deep breath. He did not want to talk about what his father did to him; he had a hard enough time telling Sammy about it. Telling a whole bunch of strangers would be near impossible. But he had to do it, he wouldn't tell them much, but he had to tell them something. If it would help get John locked away then he would do it.

So he told the judge how his father tried blinding him, how he broke he kneecap and didn't send him to the hospital, how he'd slap him on the back with his belt until his back was raw, how he nearly starved him. He told only the stories he told Sammy, because it was easier to repeat what he'd already told someone. He wasn't ready for the rest yet, he didn't want anyone to know everything that happened to him, maybe he'd tell Sammy someday but that was it.

Then Sam took the stand and told how badly of a condition Dean was in when he found him. Broken arm, broken ribs, concussion, bleeding everywhere. The judge asked how Sam never knew about the beatings and Sam hung his head in shame.

"He hid it from me. He was trying to protect me from the truth. He would make up stories and I would believe them."

"It's not his fault." Dean spoke up. He couldn't stand seeing his baby brother feeling guilty about something that was not under his control. "I hid it real good from him. I raised him and he learned to believe everything I said was the truth. SO when I told him that I fell out of a tree or got beat up by some kids at school he thought I was telling the truth. I didn't tell him because I knew he would worry and I wanted to protect him from what was going on. I didn't call anyone because he was only hurting me, he never hurt Sammy. If he hurt my brother I would have called someone right away. But he was only hurting me and I knew they would take us into some foster system and I was afraid they would separate me and Sammy. I couldn't live with that. What if he got taken by some family that beat _him?_ I wouldn't be there to stop it. It's my job to protect him."

Sam couldn't help but smile the way Dean said his last sentence. He didn't say 'It was my job to protect him' he said that it _is_ his job to protect him. His brother would always be looking out for him, no matter what. It was nice to know that you had someone that would always be there for you, someone always watching out for you.

Jess was next and she described when she saw Dean when he first came to their apartment. She also, like Sam and Dean did before her, described the whole incident with John breaking into their house. How he had flat out told them that he wanted to kill Dean, how he shot Sam and then went to kill Dean before Jess stopped him.

Lastly, it was John's turn to have his say.

"Did you beat this man, your son, his whole life and try to kill him two months ago?" The judge asked

"I did beat him and I did try to kill him but this is no man! This is not my son! He's a demon's child! He has demon's blood in him! The demon even told me himself!" He pointed a finger at Dean "This is the reason why my wife died. It's his fault she's dead!"

"Are you insane?!" The judge erupted, he was seriously starting to believe this guy was not only sick, but mad as well. "According to our records Dean was only four years old at the time of you wife's death and it says she burned in a fire. How in the world would this four year old kill your wife? The fire was caused by an electrical circuit in only one room."

"He didn't start the fire but it's his fault it happened! The demon came for him and killed my wife! If he didn't exist my wife would still be alive!"

"There is no such thing as demons! What are you talking about!? This is the whole reason you beat your son?! Because of your strange obsession with make believe demons?!" The judge sounded furious now

"They are real! My wife was pinned on the ceiling and started on fire! What else could do that except for a demon?! I saw it with my own two eyes!"

"That's ENOUGH! Get him out of here!" The judge ordered and two security guards dragged him away.

"I'll be back for you! You hear me demon child! I'll come back for you, and this time I'll kill you! I'll kill you and your demon of a father!" John screamed to Dean until he was dragged out of the room.

"Sammy…" Dean barley whispered from next to him "What if he's right…what if I am..."

"You are _not_ a demon's child Dean. Unfortunately you are that sick freak's child and so am I. He's insane Dean. And demon's lie, the demon probably just told him that to make him go even crazier. Don't listen to anything he says."

Dean nodded. But he still wasn't convinced.

The next day they found out John's sentence. Luckily, he got life in prison but was confined to the psych ward. All of his talk about demons made the judge believe he was even more insane then he probably really was.

Dean and Sam both realized he'd eventually find a way to escape. His knowledge about the supernatural and the fact that he was a skilled hunter would help him. But for now, he was gone. And when he did escape they knew he'd try to come after Dean again, but he wouldn't come out of it alive this time.

* * *

Things were going pretty well for Sam Jess and Dean the months following the trial. Dean had enrolled in the local community college and started out taking two classes a week. He didn't want to overload himself with work just yet; he wanted to ease into the college experience. Plus, he was still getting used to being around other people. Dean would drive the Impala to school from their apartment which was only about 10-15 minutes from his campus. Sam and Jess were still at Stanford, and they had set a date for their wedding to be next summer on July 4th, Jess's favorite holiday.

This summer was just getting started and Sam and Jess were more than relieved to get away from school. Dean on the other hand, ended up loving school and even made some friends; he had enrolled in a few summer courses. They were happy.

But that was before Sam woke up screaming to a dream that involved Jess burning up on the ceiling. No, not a dream, a _vision_. It felt so real and he had run to the bathroom to throw up. Dean of course had woken up, and even Jess did and they were at Sam's side in a matter of seconds. Sam had clutched onto Dean and told them both what he saw.

"We have to get out of here now. There's probably a good chance that it would be happening here. Let's go." Dean had said and they had only grabbed what they needed and abandoned their apartment, not caring if they ever came back. The only thing that mattered was keeping Jess safe.

"Sam, but your dreams only came true once with Dean, and even that wasn't all the way true." Jess had said to him as they were driving away

"No. That's not the only time. I didn't want to worry you earlier but you know how that apartment burnt down last year?" He asked and she nodded. "I dreamt that just before it happened. And I didn't just have a feeling that our father was going to break in that night like I told you. I had a vision of that happening too, of dad breaking in and killing Dean."

That last part had Dean turning around in the driver's seat to glance at Sam in the back with Jess. He didn't know that Sam had a vision of him dieing. He only thought he had a vision of his father breaking in.

"Some times it comes true, other times we can stop it."

"Let's pray that this time we can." Dean had said, his tone dead serious.

* * *

John sat scowling in the corner of his cell. Who were these people to tell him he needed medication? That demons weren't real? Little did they know, he never took the medication, just pretended he did. He wasn't stupid; he knew the medication would make his brain foggy. And if he wanted to escape, that was the last thing he needed.

"Oh look what the mighty John Winchester has been reduced to!" A voice echoed through his cell and John recognized it right away. It was the demon.

"What do you want!?" He screamed. He didn't have anything to fight the demon off with; he had lost the colt the day he went to break into Sam's apartment. It probably got packed up without them even noticing. Great! Now the demon's child had access to the gun! What good would that do? There was no way the demons own child would kill it. Great, just freakin' great.

"Oh I just decided to make a quick stop here before I start my fun and games! You know that boy you beat your whole life? The one you thought I gave blood to?" He laughed, his eyes going yellow.

"Yes, your son." He spat.

"Haha, unfortunately just because I put blood into someone does not make them my son. Just gives them some of my powers. The person with the blood is still human, not a demon. And plus, the boy you beat wasn't even the one I gave the blood to! It was little 6 month old Sammy, the perfect child."

John could hardly believe what he was hearing. "But…but you told me…"

"I told you I gave blood to one of your sons, I never told you which one. You just assumed it was Dean when it wasn't all along. Poor little Dean was beat for no reason." The demon smiled at the dumbfounded expression on John's face. "Now if you excuse me, I have to be getting on with my business." And with that he was gone.

Now, John was even more determined to get out. Sam was the one with the blood; he was the one that was part demon. He had to get out so he could kill him.

* * *

Sam was sitting at his computer while Dean stayed in the room with Jess while she slept. They never left Jess alone, especially when she slept. They had to keep a lookout after her at all times. Sam sighed and closed his computer. When they had moved after the break-in by John he had discovered a gun lying on the floor that didn't belong to them. Sam just assumed it was John's and wanted to throw it out, but figured it might be worth some money so he tossed it in a cardboard box. Sam had forgotten about it until the dream with Jess. It was exactly how their insane father would describe their mother dieing so Sam assumed it had been this demon that wanted to cause Jess's death. Sam did a lot of research and mostly came away with nothing but a picture on one website had caught his eye.

It was a picture of a gun, the same gun that Sam had thrown in the box. It was called the Colt, made by a guy named Samuel Colt in the 1800's. It was said to kill any supernatural creature that existed and it was also said to be lost for many years. Sam had no idea how his father had gotten a hold of it, but all that mattered now is that he had it. And if that demon showed up to kill Jess, he could kill it instead.

A pair of screams interrupted Sam's thoughts, it was Jess's and Dean's screams. But just as his head shot up the door to the bedroom slammed shut.

Sam ran over and pounded and kicked on the door but it wouldn't budge.

"JESS!" He heard Dean scream and Sam could just picture what was happening in the room, Jess moving up to the ceiling, bleeding. Oh god no!

* * *

Dean had been talking to Jess when she was suddenly slammed into the wall which caused them both to scream. Dean yelled her name and ran over to try to yank her off but it was as if an invisible force was keeping her glued to it. She slowly started to inch her way up the wall and Dean kept trying to get her off without any success.

"Don't do this to her! Take me instead! She never hurt any of your kind, never caused you any harm! I've killed hundreds! It's me you want! Take me!" He yelled into the room, begging for the demon to accept his offer.

Jess stopped scooting her way up the wall and for a moment all that could be heard was Sam pounding on the door. Then she fell to the ground with a heavy thud and Dean was sent up the wall at a much quicker pace.

"DEAN!!" Jess screamed, trying desperately to reach him but he was already up on the ceiling. "Let him go! Please let him go!"

She grimaced when a large slash made its way across Dean's stomach as he started bleeding, blood dripping onto the bed. Jess jumped onto the bed and went to reach for Dean but she was thrown away from him. She struggled to get back up but found out she couldn't move her arms or legs; it was like there was invisible rope surrounding them.

"Sam!!" She cried, her eyes never leaving the sight of Dean on the ceiling, scared and bleeding. "Help!!"

* * *

Sam heard Jess's cry and somehow realized she wasn't the one in immediate danger anymore. Dean. Dean was the one on the ceiling now. Dean would start on fire and it would catch through the whole room, killing both Dean and Jess. Killing the two people that made up Sam's entire life. He felt an anger rush through him like never before. _Not after all this, not after how far we've made it, it's not ending like this! _Sam felt a surge of power emit from him and the door was thrust open. He didn't even stop and think about what had just happened, he needed to save his brother and his fiancé.

However the sight in front of him made him stop dead in his tracks. Dean was pinned to the ceiling, blood dripping from his slashed stomach, his eyes pleading for Sam to take Jess and run.

And then he blinked and the ceiling around Dean burst into flames.


	14. If It's Worth Savin' Me

_OK, now you will be able to find out what happened to Dean! Sorry it took longer; I was only able to catch 20 minutes of the season premier before I had to leave my dorm to go to my soccer game! When I got back I spent an hour trying to find the episode online but I couldn't find it! I was so mad that I didn't finish this yesterday and just went straight to bed. SO I STILL didn't see the premier! I'm going crazy! But I still managed to finish it! Hopefully the CW site will add the episode on there so I can watch it! OK, anyway thanks to everyone who reviewed! I got the most reviews for last chapter! I hope you like what I ended up doing! Let me know what you think! I hope I'm not too evil! Lol Enjoy!_

* * *

"DEAN!!" Sam screamed as he watched his brother get engulfed in the flames around him. His face held and expression full of pain and regret. Something must be preventing him from talking because Sam knew Dean would be screaming for him to get out right now. Dean wouldn't want his brother to have to watch him die, especially not like this.

"Sam! Do something!!" Jess cried from her locked position on the floor. She was struggling wildly to free herself from the invisible bonds to get to Dean. She didn't know how Sam could save Dean, there didn't seem to be a way but that didn't stop her from yelling at Sam to do something. She didn't mean to yell at him, it's just that she couldn't stand seeing Dean burn like that, she wasn't thinking rationally, her only thoughts were locked on Dean and her willingness to save him.

Sam knew reaching up to grab Dean wouldn't do anything. This was the demon's doing, this is exactly the way their mother died and it was how Dean was dieing right now. _Come on Sam! Think! Your brother's up there dieing! There's gotta be a way to save him that we didn't know of before! _And then the stench of burning flesh reached Sam's nostrils, the stench of his _brother's_ burning flesh. But instead of getting sick like he thought he would be, Sam felt himself filled with a fierce energy to protect his brother, to save him from this. It was the same energy he felt we he somehow yanked the door opened without touching it, but this time the power felt stronger. He had wanted the door opened then, and now he wants his brother of the ceiling. Sam closed his eyes and focused all of his energy on pulling his brother off of the ceiling, of protecting him and keeping him safe. He then opened his eyes and the power was released, he watch in both horror and excitement as Dean's burning body was pulled from the ceiling and landed at his feet.

Whatever had been preventing Dean from screaming must have stopped when he was freed from the ceiling because as soon as Dean hit the ground painful screams erupted from him and his whole body started thrashing wildly.

That was good news because it proved to Sam that Dean was still alive, but it was also horrible news because his brother was under so much pain.

Sam immediately grabbed a sheet from the bed and used to try to stop the flames from eating away at Dean's skin. It wasn't working; there were too many flames on his body.

Suddenly Jess was beside him with a fire extinguisher. Sam must have freed her when he freed Dean. Without hesitation she started spraying Dean with rapid movements, trying to get his whole body.

"Sam! There's someone in the room! I saw them when I ran back in here!" Jess yelled over the crackling of the flames on the ceiling. The fire didn't seem to be growing as rapidly from the demon's power now, but it would still naturally spread across the room with time.

"Once the fire's put out on him, get him out of the apartment and call 911!" Sam told her, not realizing how Jess would carry his brother's 6 foot stocky frame out of the 2 story apartment.

Sam spun around and was met with devilish yellow eyes starring back at him. His breath caught in his chest at the sight but he grasped the colt he luckily had shoved into his pocket when he first heard Dean and Jess scream. He had a feeling from the start that this was going to be the demon.

"Hello there Sam. Like what I've done with the place?" The voice that belonged to the yellow eyes said and the figure stepped out of the shadows. The man the demon was processing was an older man, probably in his 50's and he had an evil smirk plastered onto his face.

Sam wasn't going to waist any time. He pulled out the colt from his pocket and pointed it at the demon. It seemed shocked when it saw exactly what gun Sam was holding.

"Where did you get that?" It asked, sounding slightly frightened

"It doesn't matter; all that does is that I'm going to kill you with it." Sam shot back

"Oh you won't shoot me Sam; I can help you with your powers. I can help you be what you're meant to be. It's your destiny Sammy." It said and smiled again

Sam didn't know what those words meant, they frightened him, but he pushed them to the back of his mind. The demon was trying to distract him, but he wasn't going to fall into his plan today.

"Don't call me Sammy." Sam spat at him and he was the one smirking now as he pulled the trigger and shot the demon right in the head. It fell to its knees as black ash poured from its mouth and disappeared forever in a spark of light.

Sam then realized that the whole room was almost in flames and he dashed out, throwing the colt into the flames to melt with the body. He didn't want to explain to the paramedics why he had a gun in his hand and why there was a burning body in the room with a bullet hole in its head.

Sam stopped at the stairway and saw Jess trying to pull Dean down the stairs without hurting him. Tears poured down her face every time Dean cried out in pain.

"I'm sorry Dean, I'm so sorry, but we have to get you out of here, you're going to be alright." She sobbed and Sam rushed over and knelt by their side.

"It's okay Jess; I've got it from here. You did great, don't worry." Sam told her and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before turning all of his attention to his whimpering, shaking big brother.

"Shh…Dean, it's okay. It's going to be alright. I've got you and the medics are on their way. Just keep fighting for me big brother, please keep fighting." Sam repeated over and over as he picked Dean up as gently as he possibly could. Dean's body was furiously hot and Sam saw that the fire had burned away the back of his clothes, leaving blackened, burned skin as a result. Dean let out a yell as Sam picked him up and it took everything Sam had not to ease his brother to the floor again, but he had to get Dean outside, out of the building. Dean's fist clenched in Sam's jacket tightly and Sam's throat choked up at the sight. Dean was not dieing today, not on Sam's watch.

* * *

Sam stood silently at the cemetery. There weren't too many people here, just Sam and Jess, Sandy and her boyfriend, and a couple of Dean's friends from school. They walked past Sam and offered their sympathy but Sam ignored them all, his eyes locked onto Dean's casket.

_After all this, after all he's been through. He was getting so much better, he was healing so well and he was happy. He had a chance at life and one quick change of events and he's gone. It's all your fault. You couldn't save him in time. You should've been quicker, got him off the ceiling quicker. Hell, you should've been up there instead! He didn't deserve to die like that! He's too good, you let him down so many times, you deserved to be up there!_

The voice echoed through Sam's mind and he doubled over, falling to his knees and sobbing. Everyone was leaving now; it was time to pay your last respects. He heard Jess walk over to Dean's casket and sob loudly. _Your brother is dead, your brother is dead._ The voice repeated over and over.

"Excuse me sir." An official sounding voice said and Sam slowly looked up to find a man in white hospital uniform holding something in his hand. _Why is a man in a hospital uniform here?_

"These were found in the apartment, I believe they belonged to your brother." He told Sam and handed him glasses, Dean's glasses.

That's all it took for Sam to break down again.

"Sam! Sam! Wake up!" Jess yelled.

* * *

Sam shot up, tears streaming his face and his whole body shaking. He looked up and saw the man in the hospital uniform from his dream standing in front of him, holding Dean's glasses. _So it was a dream, it was just a dream._

"Were these your brother's?" He asked Sam kindly and Sam nodded

"Well, you better get them on over to him, he'll need them." The man smiled.

"He…he's alive..?" Sam stuttered.

"He suffered severe 3rd degree burns on his back and on the backs of his legs and arms. It's quite strange seeing as the fire only caught his back side. We went straight to work on the burns and we tried to prevent scarring as much as possible. However with the burns being so severe he will have permanent scarring where the fire burned him. We'll do whatever we can to bring the scarring down as much as we can but he's going to be okay. He won't be able to walk or even move that much at first and when he will be able to walk it will be difficult at first. I'll explain his injuries more in-depth to you later; you must be exhausted right now. I'm sure you'll be there to help your brother through this." The doctor explained

"Of course, I'm always there for my brother." Sam told him and Jess nodded beside him "Can we see him?"

"Yes. We put him under a sedative earlier to knock him out so he wouldn't be in too much pain. When he woke up about 15 minutes ago we found out that he was going to be alright and he refused to take another sedative. He's been asking for you two."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. His brother was going to be alright, his brother wasn't going to die. Sam would be there to help Dean through the pains of his burns and so would Jess. Everything was going to be fine.

Sam and Jess had followed the ambulance to the hospital. There they waited for hours on end for any news on Dean. The only news they had gotten was that he was going through surgery. Sometime Sam must have fallen asleep. He didn't know how long he was out for.

"How long was I sleeping?" He asked Jess.

"About 6 hours." She told him. Geeze, had it really been that long? "I fell asleep sometime in-between that because when I woke up about an hour ago you were still sleeping." She then looked up to Sam with tears in her eyes. "He saved my life."

"What?" Sam asked her

"Dean saved me. I was the one that was getting dragged up onto the ceiling and he told whatever that _thing_ was to take him instead! It dropped me and took him; he almost died because of me!" She cried, her tears breaking free

Sam wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want either Jess or Dean on the ceiling but he understood where Jess was coming from. Jess loved Dean, she would die for him and Sam felt the same way. He would have taken Dean's place on the ceiling in a heart beat.

"He's okay now; it's going to be alright." Was all that Sam could think to say. But it helped, Jess nodded and stopped crying.

"We have to be strong for him." She stated

"Yea, we do." Sam replied as the doctor led them into Dean's room.

Sam almost couldn't do it, almost couldn't stay strong as he saw Dean in front of him. He was lying in the hospital bed on his front, with his backside covered in gauze. The majority of his hair had been singed off, only a few patches of his light brown hair remained on his head. Sam hoped that the hair would grow back, that was something that he needed to remember to ask Dean's doctor. He had a nasal cannula in his nose and an IV up his wrist.

But the thing that stopped Sam from breaking down was Dean's smile. The way his face lit up when he saw Sam and Jess enter the room. As long as Sam could still make Dean happy, he would be happy too.

Sam walked right up to Dean and he would've hugged him if he wasn't so injured. Instead he grabbed his brother's hand and squeezed tightly. Sam was pleased to note that Dean's hands had not gotten burned.

Dean looked up at Sam and thankfully Dean's face had not gotten burnt either. But something Sam saw in Dean's eyes shocked him. Dean now looked like he believed in himself, like he now truly saw himself worth something, that he could help people - all because he saved Jess. It saddened Sam that it took taking Jess's place on a burning ceiling for Dean to realize that he was worth fighting for.

"You feeling okay buddy?" Sam asked his brother, his grip on Dean's hand never loosening.

"Hurts like hell but they just gave me some meds." Dean croaked out "But I can feel 'em working already."

"Dean, I'm so sorry. I should've got in there earlier. I should've done something…."

"Sammy. Shut up. You saved me; I'm alive now because of you. Don't worry about it." And Sam saw another question in Dean's eyes _How? How did you get me off the ceiling?_ But Dean was tired and technically should be knocked out on a sedative right now because the pain was so bad. Sam would answer that question later.

Jess then came over and knelt beside Dean and gave him a peck on the lips. "You had us so worried there big brother. Don't you ever do anything like that again!" She then brought her hand up to gently stroke his cheek with her thumb. "But thank you Dean, for saving me. You shouldn't have done it though, risked your life for mine."

"No I should've. That's what big brothers are for." He told her and they could see his eyelids drooping.

"Go to sleep Dean. We'll be right here when you wake up." Sam told him and Dean gratefully obeyed. He was out in a matter of seconds.

Sam and Jess were quiet for a few minutes, just simply staring at Dean watching him sleep. And then Jess spoke up what Sam feared she'd ask.

"How did you do that? Get him off the ceiling without touching him? And what was that _thing?_ It had yellow eyes! It didn't even look human!" She asked and Sam understood her confusion. It was how everyone reacted after having their first supernatural experience.

"It wasn't human. And I'm not entirely sure how I managed to get him off the ceiling. I just thought about pulling him off, focused all my energy on that task and next thing I know Dean is flying towards me. I knocked the door off without touching that either. I don't know what it is, I think it might be connected with these visions I'm having. TO tell you the truth Jess, I'm downright scared. Why do I have these powers?" Sam told her and put his head down only for Jess to pick it back up so he could look her directly in the eyes.

"Sam, these visions and these 'powers' or whatever you just described to me. They helped Dean; I wouldn't worry about them if they help people. It sounds like things you read on psychic actually." She told him and smiled. "I'm going to have a psychic as a husband. But don't worry about it; they helped save your brother. And what do you mean by the thing wasn't human?"

"I…can we please wait until Dean gets better so he can help me explain this to you. I need him there to help me." Sam really didn't want Jess to know about the supernatural, but he couldn't hide this from her. She saw the demon; she deserved to know what it really was. Besides, being Winchesters, they were bound to run into supernatural creatures without meaning to. If she knew about them, she could be prepared and protect herself against them. Sam just prayed that she understood and didn't see him as crazy; he hoped she would somehow believe him.

"Of course. We'll wait till he feels better." Jess said and she was going to continue on until her phone rang. She pulled out her cell and answered.

"Hello?"

Sam watched Jess's expression change from curiosity to total horror.

"Okay. Thanks you for letting me know. Bye." Jess said abruptly and stared at Sam with wide, fear filled eyes.

"That was Sandy. She just watched the news; John escaped from jail a few hours ago."


	15. Tell Me Your Story

_I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I hit a major writer's block and I couldn't decide how the brothers would tell Jess about the supernatural and how she would react. But after a lot of thinking this is the result! Oh and I also added some brotherly+Jess bickering and showed how Dean is healing mentally as well as physically. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading and reviewing!! I hope you like what I decided to do!_

* * *

"Well, it seems Dean's back is healing very well. The skin grafts covered the most extensive burns and they shouldn't leave too bad of scars." The doctor told Sam and Jess and then turned to face Dean. "The other burns are healing well too, although you will still have scars Dean, but they won't be nearly as bad as we thought they would. You're lucky that the fire only singed your hair off and didn't really burn your head. Your hair will grow back. I think you will be able to go home as early as tomorrow." He smiled at Dean and turned back around to Sam and Jess "I'll just have to tell you how to treat Dean's burns and what ointment to put on and when to give him his painkillers."

After the doctor was done explaining things to Sam and Jess, Sam walked over to his brother who was sitting in the hospital bed.

"You hear that Dean? You're going to be fine." He smiled

"Of course I heard it, I'm not deaf." Dean replied back which caused Sam to roll his eyes. Sam didn't fail to notice these past few months Dean had been opening up even more and creating his own unique personality. He still had his moments where the memories of his horrible past consume him but he was getting a lot better. He was discovering who he really was and seemed even livelier these last two weeks in the hospital.

"Alright wise guy, you want to act like that I'm not going to give you your food that they bring in, I'll eat it myself." Sam smirked

"Go ahead, eat that junk. It's not even real food, it's disgusting. It made me sick last night; my crap was running out like a faucet."

Jess started cracking up but Sam's mouth dropped in disgust.

"DEAN! That's disgusting!! Ugh, god why do you have to start talking like that? Everything that comes out of your mouth just keeps getting nastier and more sarcastic." Sam moaned but in truth, he was really glad Dean was happy. So far they hadn't heard any news on John nearing them so Sam wasn't going to ruin Dean's good mood by telling him about John. No need upsetting Dean when the cops might catch him and there might be nothing to worry about.

"Would you rather have me lying to you? It's true; it was pouring out like…."

"DEAN! I don't want to hear that!" Sam groaned, walking away.

"I think it's funny." Jess smiled

"Yea Jess!" Dean laughed and he held his hand up. She walked over and gave him a hi-five.

"I never understood why you like those disgusting jokes. Especially his." Sam told her and pointed at Dean.

"Because those jokes are funny and so are Dean's. You need to learn how to have a little fun now and then mister." Jess scolded him

"I do have fun!" Sam whined "Not just in that nasty way!"

"Sammy, just give it up. You're fighting a losing battle here, can't you tell." Dean laughed at him

"Whatever." Sam sighed and stormed off to the bathroom, feigning anger.

"What's wrong Sammy? Do you feel some faucet coming on?"

"DEAN!!"

* * *

**Next Day**

Sam and Jess had gotten yet another apartment set up and ready for Dean. Sam helped Dean out of the car and into the building.

"I wonder how many apartments we'll have to go through. Most of the times we had to move were my fault, sorry Sammy." Dean told him

Sam sighed; Dean was letting his other mood take over. He still liked to think that everything bad that happened was his fault. He was getting much better but he still had to work on that self-loathing.

"Dean none of this is your fault. It all happened because of circumstances out of our control. I don't car if we have to move to a hundred different apartments, as long as you and Jess are safe, that's all that matters to me. Plus Jess would have been dead if it wasn't for you so stop blaming everything on yourself. You're a hero Dean." Sam told him truthfully

Dean smiled and Sam knew Dean had taken his words to heart, yet Dean tried to stay away from these what he now called 'chick-flick moments.' He was embarrassed by how much he needed Sam before and how much he cried. He wanted to stay away from that and now made a joke about it.

"What kind of hero am I? Batman? Superman? No, how about Spiderman? He's pretty awesome." Dean chuckled

"You're Wonder Woman." Sam laughed causing Dean to push him in the shoulder. "If anyone is a woman here it's you Sammy."

"Yea, yea. I know, I know. I have girly hair. Whatever. Let's just get you lying down on the couch alright? I think we're going to have to tell Jess now." Sam told him while easing his brother onto the couch.

"How in the world are we going to get her to believe us?" Dean asked while shaking his head.

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Just tell her the truth. I mean it's going to sound so unbelievable but it is the truth. Hopefully she doesn't think we're crazy."

"I already know you two are crazy." Jess said while walking into the room and sitting on the loveseat across from Dean. "But you two know I'll always believe anything you tell me. I have no reason to doubt either of you, no matter how crazy it sounds."

"Trust me; this will sound like we need to be put in a mental institution." Dean informed her.

"Like I said, I don't care how crazy it sounds, I know you both and I know you guys wouldn't lie to me. So come on, tell me, what was that thing?"

"A demon." Dean stated and watched Jess's eyes go wide

"What?" She asked "A demon?"

"Yea. They come out of Hell and possess the bodies of humans." Dean tried again

"Dean, I don't think this is the best way to tell her." Sam glared at his brother

"What? She wanted to know so I told her. Might as well just get to the point."

Sam just shook his head and looked as his fiancé. "Jess? Remember how you said that you believed in ghosts?"

"Uhh yea. It's not like I ever saw one but there's so much evidence out there and it just seems so cool." She answered

"Well, you're right about the evidence thing. There is a lot out there, and ghosts are real. But I wouldn't be too sure about the 'cool' part, they are pretty dangerous. At least most of them are." Sam explained

"You saw a ghost before?" Jess asked him

"Yea, Dean and I have seen many ghosts before. And not only ghosts but many other things as well. There are vampires and werewolves and demons as well as many other supernatural creatures." Sam said and braced himself from the explosion that he knew was going to come. There was no way Jess would believe him. He saw Dean brace himself as well from the corner of his eye.

Instead came something Sam would have never expected.

"Is that why you have all of those books about supernatural creatures?" Jess questioned.

"What?" Sam said caught off guard but then he recomposed himself "Oh yea, I didn't know you saw those I put them way up high so only I could reach them.

"Well…." She smirked "One day I was bored when you went off to class and I wanted to read but I had no good books left. So I checked out your ginormous bookshelf but nothing caught my interest. I climbed onto a chair to check out the books on the way top and they seemed really interesting. I started reading them; actually I finished most of them." She blushed

"You believe us?!" Dean asked incredulously

"Well that thing that I saw was definitely not a human; no human has glowing yellow eyes like that. And those powers it had! It must have been that thing that pushed me into the wall without laying a hand on me! I read about it in the books! It all makes sense now! And then what it did to Dean…." She shuddered and closed her eyes.

"Hey, I'm right here remembering? I'm fine." Dean smiled from his place on the couch.

Jess nodded and went to sit on the ground next to the couch Dean was on, she ran a hand over the short stubble that was starting to grow on his head. "Was that the only one? Or are there more? I don't want them to hurt Dean again." She whispered

"No. There are many more demons. Thousands even. But that was had been bothering our family for years. It's actually the thing that killed our mother." Sam told her.

"Oh my god….Sam, Dean, I'm so sorry…" She said gently

"It's okay; it was a long time ago. Plus the things dead now." Dean told her

"How do you kill a demon?" She asked curiously "I read in the book that you can exorcise it in Latin and send it back to Hell but I never read anything about killing it."

"Heh, you're already getting the hang of it!" Dean laughed

The rest of the night was spent with Sam and Dean informing Jess on how to kill a demon, telling her about other supernatural creatures and telling her about their life as hunters. The discussion only ended when Dean started snoring and that's when Sam and Jess realized that he had fallen asleep.

"I guess we should continue this tomorrow. I can't believe you took this all so well. If we tried to tell this to anyone else they would have called the cops." Sam told her as they walked to bed.

"I know you wouldn't lie to me. And it helped that I read those books. Sorry for snooping by the way." She giggled

"No problem." Sam laughed

"Do you think you can show me how to defend myself from some of these things incase I ever run into one?" She asked

"Sure. But we're not going to go out hunting them, that's why I moved to Stanford in the first place, to get away from hunting. I didn't even want you to know unless absolutely necessary. But yea, I'll show you how to protect yourself and maybe even teach you a little Latin."

"Oh joy, that should be tons of fun." She rolled her eyes as she got into bed next to Sam and kissed him goodnight.

Sam could finally sleep an almost peaceful sleep knowing his soon-to-be wife accepted his former lifestyle. The only thing that was bothering him right now was why he had these strange powers and his father's jail escape. But he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and realized all of the good things that were happening in his life. His brother survived and was healing well, the demon was dead, and he was getting married next summer. Yea, life was actually pretty good at the moment for Sam Winchester.


	16. It's Not Over Yet

_Sorry that this update is so short! But we're getting towards the end of the story now so updates will be shorter with more cliffies! I don't know exactly how I'm going to end this yet, but I do have a general idea. So it all depends on if you guys want me to keep going once I end it and I might make a sequel or a few more chapters. It's up to you! Oh yea, and if any of you read my story Breaking Point could you please leave a review letting me know what you think I should do to Dean?? I need your help! Thanks! On with the chapter!_

* * *

Dean had healed incredibly well. He was up walking on his own in a matter of days and refused help for the most part. Sam had been cleaning his wounds and bandaging them up and saw how well they were healing. He would still for sure have scars and the burns would bother him for a while but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The burns were not as red anymore and the skin grafts were taking well to Dean's skin. The parts of Dean's back that didn't have skin grafts over them were now scabbing and had stopped sealing which was a good sign.

Dean returned to the new community college he had been attending two weeks after the incident. The whole time he was recovering he was calling and getting calls from someone and from what Sam heard from the conversations it sounded like his brother was talking to a girl he met at school. Sam wanted to ask so badly but he didn't press. Dean would tell him in his own time when he felt comfortable. Sam really hoped that if Dean did like this girl he would at least get a chance with her. His brother was an amazing guy and he deserved a great girl to spend his life with.

But at the moment his brother was really starting to get on his nerves. Ever since Jess had heard about the supernatural she had become increasingly interested with it and that was the last thing Sam wanted. And Dean was not helping the tiniest bit. He was actually making it worse. He would take Jess out for shooting practice and teach her Latin. All he wanted was a normal life, was that so hard to ask?

Sam finally had enough and had confronted Dean about it.

"I'm just getting her ready incase something does come for her or us or if she sees something. It's just for precautions. I'm not training her to be a hunter or anything Sammy, chill out." Dean had told him with a wave of his hand.

"That's what I'm worried about Dean. If you keep on teaching her this stuff she might like it a little too much and she might want to become a hunter." Sam explained.

"Well, that's her decision then. Nothing you can do about that." Dean said and realized he had said the wrong thing right after the words cam out of his mouth. "Sammy I didn't…" He started but was interrupted by an angry Sam.

"I can't believe you! You want to put her in that kind of danger??" Sam seethed

"Of course not Sammy! Geeze you know I would never put her or you in danger! I'm _protecting _her by teaching her! Not putting her in harms way! Maybe you should try it because it seems like you're the one that doesn't want to help protect her from this stuff!" Crap, why couldn't he stop talking??

"You think I don't want to protect my fiancé! Maybe I would have the chance if you weren't always with her! She's my fiancé not yours so stop…." Sam sighed and shook his head. Unlike Dean, he knew when to stop talking when he started saying things he didn't mean. "Look never mind, I didn't mean that, I'm just so stressed right now Dean. I just got to get out of the house for a while okay? I'll be at the diner down the street if you need me." Sam told him and went to grab his wallet off of the table.

"Alright Sammy." Dean said right before Sam slammed the door shut. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Maybe they both just needed some time to themselves. Dean was just glad Jess was out shopping right now and she didn't have to hear any of this.

Dean put his glasses back on and sighed. He'd sit down and do some of his homework for a while, wait for Sammy to chill out.

* * *

Sam trudged down the street and into the diner. Man, he didn't know why he had blown up like that. Dean was saying some pretty aggravating things back there, but he was just trying to prove a point. Maybe the past events of the last year were just catching up with him. Man, he needed to unwind just a little bit, to calm his mind.

Sam eyed the bar with a longing. He and Jess hadn't had a drink since Dean came to live with them. He knew drinking put Dean on the edge and scared him. Their father always drank a lot and Sam figured the beating were worse when his father was drunk. Dean confirmed that thought when he told Sam a couple of months ago. Sam never saw Dean drink and knew that their father's alcoholism made Dean never touch a drop of alcohol.

So Sam and Jess had stopped drinking anything with alcohol in it. Not that they drank a lot, they barley drank at all. Sam only when he was out with friends and Jess drank even less. In fact, Jess had sworn that she would never drink again, 'it isn't good for you' she told Sam.

Sam hadn't had a drink since Dean came back but he figured it wouldn't hurt to have a couple of beers while he was here. He wouldn't get drunk or anything, it would just calm him down. And plus, Dean wasn't here, Dean would never find out. It would be fine.

* * *

Dean threw down his pencil and slammed his book shut. He just could not concentrate when Sam was mad at him like this. He needed to apologize to him. Dean went and grabbed his own wallet and left a note for Jess saying where he was at and left after locking up the apartment.

As he was walking there he decided that he would tell Sammy about the girl he has been talking to the last few weeks. It was a girl he had met in one of his classes that sat behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder just to tell him he dropped his pencil and she picked it up for him. Dean had thanked her and her eyes had grown huge when she saw his face and blushed. Dean had been surprised that she found him attractive and he started a simple conversation asking her what classes she was taking. Soon they were in a full blown conversation and found out they had a lot in common. They just seemed to click and they exchanged phone numbers to help each other with homework. However, all of their phone calls quickly got off topic and they would jabber on for hours. Dean really wanted to ask Cassie out, but he wanted his brother's advice and support first.

Dean entered the diner and looked around for his brother in the booths. When he didn't see him he was about to cross the bar and check the bathroom when he stopped.

Sam was sitting at the bar with an empty beer glass in his hand asking the bartender to fill it up. Dean's heart started racing and his breathing quickened dramatically.

_It's Sammy. Sammy wouldn't hurt you. He'd never hurt you, he loves you. _Dean tried thinking to himself but it didn't help at all. Sam was drinking, and drinking led to hateful screams and beatings, _horrible, horrible_ beatings.

Sam looked his way and spotted Dean and waved, before realizing that he had a beer glass in his hand. _Shit!!_ Sam cursed silently and put his glass down as he slowly walked over to Dean.

"Dean, it's not what it looks like. I was just having a couple of beers. I wasn't going to get drunk or anything." Sam told him gently but Dean was shaking his head violently. When Sam reached out for him Dean pulled away with a scream.

"No...no…you're going to hurt me! Alcohol makes people crazy! Please don't! Go away!!" Dean whimpered and suddenly he sounded so young and hurt, like this whole year of progress had just gone down the drain.

"Dean, please. I'd never hurt you." Sam told him and reached out and touched his shoulder. Sam realized that was the wrong move a second too late.

Dean screamed and pulled away violently running into the bathroom.

_What the hell??_ Sam thought shocked. Why had that gesture make Dean react so violently??

* * *

John smiled as he followed the young girl down the alley. Sam and Dean might not be here anymore. But he knew a way to get them here. He remembered that this girl was one of their friends. And if she suddenly died, then they would fly on over here to her funeral now wouldn't they?? Then her could finally get Sam and kill the sickening demon spawn, he'd be after the right son this time.

The girl bounced down the alley. She took this alley as a shortcut to her apartment. But today she would find out that going down a dark deserted alley would cost herself her life.

Once she was halfway down the alley John grabbed her and pinned her against the wall. He was glad he had his hunter instincts so the girl didn't hear him until the last minute, when it was too late.

"I'm willing to bargain with you." He told her while putting a hand over her mouth to keep her from talking. "You tell me where your little friends Sam and Dean Winchester moved out to and I'll spare you your life. Oh yea, scream and you'll die." He slowly removed his hand just enough so she could talk.

"You….you're that psychotic father that broke in and wanted to kill Dean aren't you?? You think I'm just going to let you find him and kill him?? You're crazy!!" She spat.

"Wrong answer pretty girl." He smirked and with a single motion, he swung the knife that was in his right hand and sliced her head off.

John stared proudly at his work and then called the cops to report a murder before throwing his phone out. The sooner Sam got here, the better.

* * *

Sam followed Dean into the bathroom and saw Dean rush into a stall. He heard the door lock and Sam sighed.

"Dean. Please listen to me. I'm your brother Dean. I would never ever hurt you. I was just going to have a couple beers to unwind, that's all. I was just stressed out. I wasn't going to get drunk. Even if I did get drunk, I'd just be tripping all over myself and acting stupid, I would not get angry drunk Dean like dad. Not everyone get angry when they get drunk like him, not everyone hurts people. I wasn't drunk anyway Dean, you know I wouldn't do that. I love you Dean, you know that right? I want you to trust me; I thought we had this down." Sam told Dean, not expecting him to be listening but was surprised when he heard the door unlock and it slowly opened.

Sam was greeted with the sight of Dean standing there with bloodshot eyes behind his glasses. Sam noted that there was no tear streaks down his face and realized that Dean must have been trying so hard not to cry anymore. He looked up at Sam with eyes that begged not to be harmed. He could tell that Dean was trying to believe Sam so much, trying to believe that Sam would never hurt him.

"He would grab me right there." Dean said suddenly.

"What??" Sam asked

"He would grab me right there." Dean repeated but pointed at his shoulder, where Sam had touched him before. "When he was drunk he would grip it so hard to keep me from moving and punch me in the face. I'd fall down and then he'd grab my shoulder again and keep hitting me, over and over." Dean took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry I acted like that, it's just I saw you drinking and then you grabbed my shoulder and I just freaked. I thought you would hurt me like he did, I should have known better."

"Oh Dean." Sam sighed and pulled his brother in for a gentle hug. He was relieved when Dean hugged him back, he trusted him. "I was just touching your shoulder to offer comfort Dean, not to hurt you."

"I know. I'm sorry." Dean mumbled

"It's okay Dean, no need to apologize." Sam told him. Before Sam could say anything else of comfort his cell phone rang. He pulled out of the hug and grabbed his phone.

"It's Jess." He told Dean and flipped it open.

"Hey Jess, what's going on?" Sam asked her and his expression quickly changed from happiness to horror. "We'll be home right away."

Dean looked at Sam with worry written all over his features. "Sammy, what's wrong?" He asked standing up straight, his big brother tone now back.

"Jess just got a call from a friend back at Stanford." He said, his tone dead. "Sandy was just found dead."


	17. If You Love Me Won't You Let Me Know

_Oh my gosh I'm so sorry about the delay in updating all my stories!! It was my birthday last week and I was very busy. Not only because of that but because the internet still doesn't work in my dorm room and there is a lot of crap going on in my college. I have to decide if I want to go to a new college and I have been so stressed out about all of it!! I'm so so sorry!! I hope you guys are still reading and enjoying they story! I will probably still be busy this week because I have to make a lot of decisions and do a lot of work but I will really try to update my other two stories! I promise everything will be finished! Oh yeah, the Cassie from this story is the same one from the show if you didn't know. She's the one girl Dean truly loved. Enjoy the next chapter!_

* * *

Dean was left in total shock of his brother's words. Even though they had moved far away from Stanford after Sam's Jess vision, they still kept in touch with Sandy. She had still been Dean's friend. He had actually just e-mailed her the other day….

He didn't realize Sam was pulling him out of the diner until they got outside. Sam was walking very quickly and because Dean's limp was so bad; Sam was practically dragging him along.

"Sammy, please slow down." Dean practically begged his brother

Sam stopped and let go of Dean's jacket sleeve he'd been holding. He watched Dean limp the remainder of the distance toward him and silently cursed for being so stupid. Even when Dean ran, which he hardly ever did, his bad leg got in the way and he'd end up tripping over something or simply look like a drunk because his balance would be so off. He should get Dean something to help out with his leg, like a brace or something. God, why hadn't he thought about that earlier??

Sam was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of his big brother's voice. "Sammy, I know we need to get home. I know how upset Jess probably is, but I'm still in shock here man. I mean, how in the world did she…..die? I was just talking to her through e-mail yesterday…." His voice hitched at the end and Sam saw his brother fighting back tears as Sam himself was doing the same.

"Jess told me she was murdered. She was murdered walking home. And not only was she murdered, but her head was cut clean off! God, she was decapitated Dean!" Sam cried as he let a few tears fall. Dean came up to his brother's side and put an arm around him, he needed to be the strong big brother.

"She didn't deserve that!! She wasn't causing anyone harm why would anyone do that to her?? It doesn't make sense!" Sam continued on

"I know Sammy; she was a good girl, a good friend. She never deserved that, ugh it's just so wrong! These things sick people will do to innocent people are so horrible." Dean told his younger brother

"It's like that with you too! What dad did to you for no apparent reason! Oh god….what if he did this! It sounds like something he would probably do….." Sam gasped

"Yeah, it does Sammy, but he's still in jail, remember?" Dean reminded him

It was then Sam realized that he had never told Dean that their father had escaped in order to protect him. Maybe he'd made the wrong decision. "Dean…he's escaped."

"What?! Since when??" Dean asked startled

"He's been for a few weeks now…Jess and I decided not to tell you because we didn't want to worry you."

"Sammy, how could you not tell me something as important as this?? What if he was lurking around here??" Dean was stunned

"We figured there would be no point in telling you because he might be caught soon. Then you'd get all worried for nothing. Plus, he doesn't know where we live. There'd be no way he could find us." Sam tried to explain to his brother

Dean sighed and rubbed his eyes behind his glasses with his fist. "Sam, in case you haven't realized, I've changed over the last encounter with dad."

"Yeah, I know Dean." Sam said completely confused

"That first time I was horrified of him Sam. I was terrified of what he might do to me. I didn't think of myself as worth fighting for so I hid. I didn't see the point in standing up to him because I thought of myself as a pile of worthless junk. But you know that I don't see myself like that anymore Sammy. If he were to come now to kill me I would stand up for myself. Not saying that I would win, but I would put up one helluva fight. Yeah, I wouldn't enjoy the fact that he'd escaped obviously, but I wouldn't worry myself out about it like you thought I would. You should have told me Sammy."

Sam stared at the ground as he let his brother's words sink in. Dean was absolutely right. He knew Dean had gotten stronger, but he hadn't taken in the fact that he'd gotten a lot stronger and would have been able to handle the information. He should have told Dean straight away.

"I'm so sorry Dean. You're right, I should have told you. I'm sorry that I thought you wouldn't be able to handle him escaping. I just wanted to protect you." He sadly sighed

By looking at Sam so upset, Dean couldn't find it in his heart to be mad at his little brother any longer. He placed a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder.

"It's okay Sammy. You did it for the best. Just next time when something happens please let me know, no matter how you think I will react to it. And plus, it's my job to do the protecting, especially now that I'm back in full big brother mode, so don't you worry about that anymore." He smiled

"Thanks Dean." Sam told him

"No problem Sammy." Dean replied but then his face was filled with sadness once again. "We should head home to comfort Jess." He added

Sam nodded in agreement and they slowly walked on.

* * *

That night was one of the longest and hardest nights in Dean's book. Jess had just lost her best friend and was sobbing until three in the morning. Sandy's death was already hard enough for Sam and Dean, and then seeing Jess like that had broken them even more.

Sandy's funeral wasn't going to be until the weekend because her body was being investigated to see if there was any struggle before she died, or if she had got caught by surprise. They were also trying to figure out what weapon was used to kill her and is there was any DNA evidence from the murderer on her so they could track whoever it was down.

Today was Tuesday and Dean said he wouldn't go to class so he could comfort Jess but Sam and Jess both told him to go. He'd be missing enough classes when they flew out to California Thursday night.

Dean had his head down on his desk and was dozing off when Cassie walked in and loudly dropped her books onto her desk, startling Dean on purpose. Dean shot up and looked around wildly, his glasses slipping down his nose.

Cassie chuckled as Dean readjusted his glasses and yawned. She couldn't help but think of how cute Dean looked when he was confused.

"Since when do you fall asleep in class Mr. A Student?" She laughed

Dean looked up at her and smiled. She got butterflies in her stomach just like every time Dean smiled at her. But Dean didn't look too great today. He had bags under his eyes and his hair wasn't even gelled and it was messy which shocked Cassie. He also looked really sad and now Cassie was concerned. She sat down in her desk and faced Dean.

"Dean, what's going on? You don't look so good and it seems like something is wrong." She told him with concern

Dean sighed and looked down "I just found out yesterday that one of my good friends from California died. She was murdered."

Cassie was stunned by the news. After what Dean went through with the fire and getting burned now he had to go through this. She felt her heart go out to this man that she had gotten to know over the past few months.

But one thing she learned about Dean is that he was very strong. She had called him everyday that he was recovering from the fire and he never once complained. He seemed the type to take life as it came and felt that he could handle just about anything.

"Oh my God Dean….I'm so sorry…that's terrible.." She told him

"It's okay. Her boyfriend called Jess and told her about it. She's really having a hard time, that was her best friend. The funeral's on Saturday."

Dean and Cassie talked until class started and once it ended they walked out together.

"Do you want to come over to my place to do our homework?" Cassie suddenly blurted out; she couldn't control herself and instantly felt bad. "I'm so sorry Dean, you're going through a hard time, and I should have never suggested it."

"No, it's okay, really. I think that would actually be a good idea. Take my mind off of things." He smiled and Cassie nearly leapt with excitement.

Dean called Sam to let him know and Sam encouraged him to go. They went over to Cassie's place and really did try to do their homework but they kept getting distracted and ended up talking about the most random things.

"You're such a cool guy Dean." Cassie told him with a smile

"You're pretty cool yourself." Dean replied back. He liked Cassie a lot. She was sweet but she was also tough and wouldn't let anyone treat her wrongly. If she had something to say she would say it and let her opinion be known, Dean liked that in a woman, someone who was kind and caring, yet strong and independent.

They were sitting next to each other on Cassie's couch now. Looking at the TV but not really watching it. Cassie leaned into Dean, she didn't mean to, it was like he was a magnet pulling her in with such force and she didn't think she could resist the pull any longer.

Dean looked down at her when she leaned into him and Cassie looked up. Their faces were so close, Dean felt himself inching closer until they were just centimeters away from each other's faces.

And then they kissed.

It wasn't anything big and mushy; it was soft and gentle, yet so full of emotion. They slowly and reluctantly pulled away and Dean stared at Cassie in shock.

Cassie took his reaction the wrong way and began apologizing. "I'm so sorry Dean…. Just…I…."

"No, no, I'm just…surprised. You wanted to kiss me??" He asked it like he couldn't believe any girl would want to kiss him and Cassie couldn't think of any girl that wouldn't want to.

"Well, yes. Yes I did. A lot actually." She told him with confidence

"But I mean….it doesn't bother you that I have a limp?? And I do have all these scars on my back from the fire, and I do have a lot more scars too, they're not pretty…."

"I don't care." Cassie interrupted him in a strong voice. "Why would your limp or scars bother me?? Dean, you are the nicest guy I know. You're so funny, sweet, have such a great sense of humor and your scars or limp doesn't matter. In fact, I don't think they would ruin your appearance at all. You're adorable."

"Really??" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Yes really." Cassie replied

"So does this mean….you want to go out?"

Cassie laughed at Dean's cute awkward proposal. "I want to. Do you?"

Cassie saw Dean's eyes shine and saw him sit up straighter with newfound confidence "Hell yeah." He smirked and kissed her back.

* * *

It worried John when the cops started investigating on Sandy's death but he knew he wouldn't get caught. He was a skilled hunter after all.

He had spied on the girl's grieving boyfriend and heard him call Jess. John heard him say he'd meet them Thursday night. His plan was working out perfectly. Now all he had to do was grab Sam when he showed up, torture him a while for fun and kill him.

He didn't want to kill Dean and the girl but if they got in the way, he'd end them too. He was way past caring about who he'd kill, as long as he got the job done.

And he swore to himself that he would.


	18. Flying Fears

_Okay, so I've decided to give you guys a little fluff before the big bad stuff starts happening! I couldn't resist but put Dean's fear of planes in here! I wanted to write out how this AU Dean would handle it! So this is mostly a chapter to lead up to the next. But don't worry; you'll get a peek of the danger that's coming at the end of the chapter! Thanks for reviewing and keep it up! I almost have 200 reviews!! That's crazy! I never thought I'd make it to 100! Thanks so much you guys! I'm so glad you like this story! The story would have been nearing its end but I really like writing this story and I might want to write more about other things...it all depends on what you guys want! Plus I have been getting such a great amount of reviews for each chapter....For those of you that really like this story you may be in luck, I might write quite a bit more! But ffor now....on with Dean freaking out about flying! lol_

* * *

Sam sat in the airplane seat waiting for the plane to take off. On either side of him were his brother and his fiancé. Jess had taken the window seat; she loved planes and always called the window seat. These past few months Dean had increasingly gotten more and more talkative, it was hard to get him to shut up now. But at the moment he was being uncharacteristically quiet. Sam decided not to ask him why because he assumed it was probably just about Sandy's death.

Jess was blabbing on about planes and how it feels to take off and turbulence to Dean who had never been on a plane before. The excitement of the plane was

"We'll be up about 20,000 feet in the air! It's amazing how these big giant chunks of metal can fly through the sky! You'd think they'd drop right down!" Jess told his brother

Sam watched as Dean instantly paled and his breathing sped up. He could see Dean fidgeting. He took off his glasses and cleaned them over and over. He cracked his kunckles loudly. He reached his arm over onto his back and started scratching at the wounds through his shirt.

"Hey quit scratching at that!" Sam scolded Dean at slapped at his hand "You'll make your back infected. Are the burns bothering you? Do you need more ointment on them?" Sam's tone changed from annoyance to worry.

Dean growled and pushed away from Sam. "First of all if they _did _itch I wouldn't have you put it on in front of all these people! And no, they are not bothering me."

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair; his brother could be so darn difficult sometimes. Why couldn't he just tell Sam how he feels without Sam forcing it out of him??

"Dean, something's bothering you, you haven't spoken all day it seems like. You're fidgeting like crazy. Usually I can't get you to shut up. What's going on?" Sam questioned

"It's….it's…..this!!" Dean stuttered and held his arms out while waving them around.

"The plane?" Jess asked, coming into the conversation which received a nod from Dean.

"Seriously??" Sam couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from his mouth

Dean glared at him and Jess slapped him.

"Sam! Your brother just told you he's afraid of flying and you laugh about it?" Jess asked with disbelief as she reached over to hold Dean's hand.

"Oh, come on! I was just trying to put some humor into the situation to take his mind off of the fear! It's just I can't believe he of all people would be scared of such a simple thing as _flying._" Sam tried to reason

"How is flying such a simple thing Sammy? Your up in the air thousands and thousands of feet above the ground in a metal contraption going at insane speeds! Please tell me how that's simple!" Dean scowled and his face now gained a greenish complexion.

"Dean, people fly all the time. Some people fly almost every day for their jobs." Sam explained

"Sam, millions of people are afraid of flying. It's a common thing to be frightened your first time." Jess said and rolled her eyes at him before she looked back at Dean. "Oh, Dean! You look like you're going to throw up any second! Let's get you to the bathroom before the plane takes off." Jess told his brother and then pushed past Sam as she led a hobbling Dean to the bathroom.

_Come on you guys? Now you're teamed up against me?_ Okay, maybe it was wrong to laugh at his brother's fear but he just found it funny that Dean was afraid of flying. But Dean and Jess were way overreacting, they needed to chill out.

Dean and Jess came back five minutes later. Dean still looked extremely nervous but at least he didn't look green anymore. Sam decided he better apologize or this plane ride would be very uncomfortable.

"Dean, listen man, I'm sorry for laughing at you." He said as soon as Dean sat down

"No, it's all good Sammy. I was just nervous and overreacted, I spazed out on you when I shouldn't have."

"I for one still think you shouldn't have laughed at him Sam." Jess told him but in a calm voice this time.

"You still love me?" He teased her while nudging her arm

"There's no way I'd be able to stop." She laughed and took his hand

"Ugh, you guys are going to make me throw up all over again." Dean groaned

"Dean you know that there is a better chance of being killed by a dog than being killed in a plane crash??" Sam told his shaking brother

This seemed to calm Dean a bit. "Really?" He questioned

"Yep. You rarely hear of plane crashes anymore. There are thousands of planes flying everyday." Sam informed Dean

"Heh, I guess I'll have to tell Cassie that. She's never been on a plane either and said she's scared too. Although not as much as me but…"

"Hey, so what is up with you two anyway?? You've been spending a lot of time with her." Sam smiled

"Umm well we're…..good friends." Dean said but he could tell Sam wasn't buying it when he raised his eyebrow "We kissed alright? And well….she's my girlfriend."

To say that Sam was shocked was an understatement. "You have a girlfriend?? How come you never told me??"

Sam spun around to face Jess who wasn't surprised at all. "Did you know about this?"

"Yeah Sam she did. I told her. It happened a few days ago. I was going to ask you on Sunday what I should do to ask her out but that's when we got in that fight. I went to find you at the diner to ask you and…well you know the rest. Then Sandy's death happened and I just got around to telling Jess. I was going to tell you I swear, I was just nervous I guess…."

"That's what you went to find me for? Man, Dean I'm so sorry…I ruined everything." Sam apologized yet again

"No, Sam it's okay. I know now that even if you would get drunk, you'd never hurt me." Dean assured him

"Why would you be nervous to tell me?"

"Because….because I didn't know if you would approve I guess."

"What? Dean, you don't need my approval to go out with someone." Sam asked, confused

"Well duh Sammy, I know I don't _need _your approval, you're not my mother. But I _want _your approval. I want to know if my girlfriend is someone you like, if you think she's good for me. I don't want to date someone my family doesn't like." Dean explained himself

"Dean." Sam shook his head and smiled "I think Cassie's great for you. When she came over to visit you I didn't see one thing bad about her. And for the record, I totally approve big brother and I'm so happy for you." Sam playfully punched Dean in the arm.

"Thanks Sammy." Dean smiled

"No problem Dean, you can tell me anything, you know that. About Cassie, about school, anything."

Before Dean could reply though, the flight attendant announced that they would be taking off in 5 minutes and for everyone to buckle their seatbelts. Dean fumbled for his seatbelt before he remembered that the first thing he did after he sat back down was buckle the thing in fear that the plane would take off without notice. He sat still, counting down the time on his watch.

"Dean, dude, it's alright." Sam told his brother after sensing his nervousness. He grabbed one of Dean's hands in his own. Dean looked down at the hand in disgust.

"Uh-uh, dude I'm not your boyfriend. Don't you even start another chick-flick moment in here." Dean whispered harshly at Sam, but just then the plane started moving and Dean yelped, practically jumped out of his seat and grabbed onto Sam's hand tightly.

That reaction from Dean even got a giggle out of Jess and Sam laughed quietly as he held onto his brother's hand. "We're just going to circle the runway for a couple minutes and then we get ready for takeoff. It's not bad at all Dean."

Eventually the plane was ready for takeoff as it charged down the runway, gaining more and more speed. Dean had closed his eyes and sank the furthest down he could in his seat all while his hand was so tightly around Sam's that he was losing circulation in it. It took all of Sam's will not to pull his hand away. Finally they were up in the air, ascending into the clouds.

"Dean, it's over now." Jess gently told him and placed a hand on his shoulder

Dean slowly opened his eyes and looked around. "That's it?" He asked

"Yep, I told you it wouldn't be bad bro." Sam smiled at him

Dean then looked down and saw that he was still holding Sam's hand. He yanked his hand away quickly. "Hmm, I was expected the whole plane to shake and rattle so hard that you couldn't sit in your seat. All that I feel is a little pressure and my ears need to be popped."

"Yeah, the pressure on you and in your ears is from gravity because we're so high. But you see, it wasn't scary." Sam told him

"Scary? Who said I was scared?? I was just _nervous, _that's all." Dean said smugly

"Whatever you say Dean, whatever you say."

* * *

John watched as Sam, Dean and the girl entered the airport, retrieved their luggage and met a friend to take them to a motel. He was glad that his disguise was working, the cops sure sucked at trying to catch him from escaping jail. Wouldn't they have realized that he only has one eye? Heh, he had that little demon child to thank for that, but soon justice would be served. All he had to do was follow them to the motel and take Sam, easy enough. Sure Dean and the girl might come looking for him, but once they find out the demon that he is, they won't miss him, they'll be glad he's gone.

And they'll have him to thank for it.

It would finally happen tonight.


	19. It's A Thief In The Night

__

Okay so here is the John showdown and let's just say Dean gets to yell at him for all he's done to him! Oh and for all of you that were wondering if this was still going to be hurt!Dean don't you worry! Yes, John is after Sam now but he won't be able to get to Sam without having to face Dean first! Dean would do anything to make sure Sammy doesn't get hurt, even if he gets hurt himself. So yes, there is hurt!Dean in this chapter, poor Dean just never gets a break! Let me know what you think and thanks for all of your support in this story! I think I will have quite a bit more I can write in this story so for all of you that don't want it to end, you might be in luck! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!!

* * *

Dean was just carrying the last of their bags into the motel they were staying in and shut the door. He looked at the room and was immediately filled with horrible memories from his past. Jumping from motel room from motel room, getting beaten nearly every day by his psychopath of a father. He refused to even cringe though at the memory because that's all it was now, just a memory. He focused on only the good things in his past which simply was just Sammy. He knew the only reason he had gotten over his past and was able to move on with his future was because of his baby brother.

He threw his bag on the bed and tossed Sam's and Jess's onto theirs. Sam was on the phone ordering a pizza and Jess went to unpack her stuff. Dean decided it would be a good time to hit the shower while they were both busy.

He walked into the bathroom and took off his shirt and glasses and turned on the water, waiting for it to warm up before getting in. He was still impatiently waiting for the water to even become warm enough to be bearable when he heard pounding on the door.

"Sammy who's there?" Dean asked. They had discussed the possibilities of John being here and being the one that killed Sandy and Dean was determined not to let him lay a finger on any of them.

He was answered by more banging and Jess's scream of fear. Den didn't waste any more time as he quickly put his glasses on and ran out of the bathroom.

Sam was standing by the door, a shotgun in hand. Jess was standing further away also with a gun. Then suddenly the pounding stopped. Sam turned to Dean and motioned to check one of the windows while he checked the other. The brothers each went to a window and peered out while Jess wandered closer to the door.

Dean didn't see a sign of John and was about to tell Sam when suddenly the door opened and a loud thud was heard from the front of the room.

John was now standing in the doorway, a pistol in his hand and Jess sprawled out on the floor at his feet, unconscious.

"Jess!" Sam screamed and moved toward her but John pointed his gun at Sam.

"Didn't realize I could pick-lock the door? I just knocked her out so don't cry about it. You're the only one that I'm here for demon child. It ends tonight." He said, his eyes flashing with anger and craziness.

"What the hell are you talking about? I thought I was the one that is the 'demon child'." Dean spat

John spun around to face Dean but kept his gun pointed at Sam. Shocked didn't even describe his facial expression. It was like he couldn't believe that Dean was talking back to him.

"Don't interfere or I'll beat you. You remember what that feels like don't you? You remember person after person lining up to punch you to get their anger out? Oh what a great source of money that was. That's all you were ever good for was money and just because I'm not here to kill you doesn't mean I won't stop to do it. You remember when they'd…."

"SHUT UP!" Dean screamed, getting closer to the man he hated so much, just inches away from punching _him _in the face.

"What is it? Can't handle your past? You're worthless, were then and still are now. You will never amount to…." John couldn't finish when he was punched right in the jaw with Dean's fist.

"I didn't deserve it; I didn't deserve any of it!" Dean yelled into his father face, his voice displaying only anger and confidence.

"Yes you did. You're pathetic." John said turning back to Dean.

"No I'm not. You know the only reason I dropped out of high school is because you never let me do my homework. You dragged me along on all the hunts. I could have even continued school if I didn't have so many bruises and scars on my body, the teachers were asking questions! And you know what now?? I got my GED and I aced it! If I was just given the time to study I could have gotten straight A's in high school! I'm going to college, I have a girlfriend and I have a life! You ruined my childhood and I hate you for it! But I moved on and I found out that I am worth it and that people love me, they want me around. Everything was your fault, not mine!" Dean's chest was rising up and down quickly and he was panting but he finally got it out, after all these years.

"If you hate me so much and if it's all my fault then why don't you just kill me?" John taunted.

"Because I'm not like you. I don't kill people, even if they ruined my life and no matter how much I hate them." Dean growled

"Fine, then you will watch as I kill your demon brother." John simply stated and went to pull the trigger when Dean jumped in front of him.

"You're willing to sacrifice yourself for him? What does he mean to you?" John was getting irritated now.

"He means the world to me. He's the whole reason I'm alive, the whole reason I am who I am now. And he's _not _a demon! He can walk through traps and recite exorcisms!"

"He has demon blood in him, so he's demon enough." John shrugged

"You're insane, you know that?? First it was me with the blood now it's him? What would make you change your mind after so long of believing it was me?" Dean said from his position in front of a silent, shocked Sam.

"The demon told me, he put some drops of his blood into him when Mary died. And tell me _Sam_." He spat the word like it was poison. "Have you been experiencing anything out of the ordinary? Any strange powers or abilities you quite can't understand. Telekinesis, mind reading, visions??"

"Oh my god…" Sam whispered from behind Dean "He's right…"

"You see! He does have the blood in him! Now let me shoot him!" John scowled but Dean was shaking his head violently

"So what?? Who cares if a demon put its blood into Sam? He's still my baby brother and he's the nicest guy I know! Sam is the furthest thing from a demon and if you would actually take the time to think you would realize that too!" He yelled

"He had evil blood running through his veins." John kept going

"And he also has human blood running through his veins too! He has a lot more human blood then just a couple drops of demon blood! And it doesn't matter if he has evil blood in him! Sammy is nowhere near evil and just because he has some powers does not make him evil. He can use them for good or just simply not use them at all! The blood doesn't define who he is just like my past doesn't define who I am!" Dean screamed at him

John sighed. He was really getting sick of this and he knew there was no way he was going to get Dean to move from his spot in front of Sam. Oh well, then he'd make him _fall._

John thought quickly, Dean sure looked stronger then he ever remembered him being. He actually wasn't skinny for once and even looked like he might have some muscle going on there. And he was definitely more confident in himself; this was not the Dean he knew. But still, no matter how much Dean changed there were still some things about him that never would, including the fact that he has a bad left leg.

John didn't need two eyes to aim quickly at Dean's right kneecap-the good knee. He shot without a second thought and laughed when Dean fell the floor and when Sam cried out in horror, falling also to try to comfort his big brother.

Now Dean had two bad legs, there was no way he was going to be able to stand up, thus there was no way the cripple could protect Sam now. Now he could have his fun beating Sam while Dean had to sit there bleeding and in pain, watching Sam die.

* * *

The pizza man was about to knock on the slightly opened door of the motel room when he heard a gunshot. Shocked and also frightened he peered through the opening of the door and saw two young men on the ground, one of them bleeding. Hey….he knew those people! They were the ones on the news a while back that were from Stanford. That crazy father of theirs had tried to kill them or something….And then he looked at the third man in the room and his face paled when he saw who it was.

It was the psycho father! He heard that he had escaped from jail and now he was going to try to kill them again. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911; quickly whispering his location and that there was an emergency. He just prayed the cops would show up soon.

But then he saw the psychopath raise his gun to his sons.


	20. Save The Day

Sam saw his father point the gun at him when he realized he was still holding onto Dean. He had to let go of him or his father would shoot again first in order to get to Sam.

He quickly eased Dean from his arms and pushed him away from him, ignoring the protests coming from Dean's throat. He could only hope that John would leave Jess and Dean alone and that Jess woke up and was able to take Dean to the hospital before he bled out too much.

"Thanks for being such a great big brother." Sam told Dean and he was actually grateful at the moment that Dean couldn't walk, because he knew that if Dean could he would just jump in front of Sam again.

"Sammy…no…" Dean gasped and tried crawling back to Sam, only to yelp out in pain when his newly damaged knee rubbed against the carpet

When John had been arguing with Dean after he first broke in Sam had gone for his gun that he had placed in his back pocket, only to find it empty. John must have somehow disarmed him without him noticing. He figured that's what he gets for quitting hunting and not being as experienced as he once was. In fact, he probably disarmed Jess as well and had _three _guns on him. Now, without a weapon he was going to die, and his big brother was going to have to watch it.

Sam watched as John cocked the gun and pointed it directly at Sam's heart. He closed his eyes then, waiting for the gunshot…listening to Dean's cries….the end was near….

"Hey asshole!!"

_What the hell?_

Sam opened his eyes just in time to see a cardboard pizza box fly into the room and smack John on the back of the head as he was pulling the trigger. Luckily, the encounter had startled him and set his aim off, the bullet hitting the wall to the right of Sam. The gun in his hand clattered to the ground ten feet away from him as his bad leg gave out and he fell as well.

Sam spun around to see…_a pizza delivery guy??_ standing at the doorway.

"I bet you're lucky you decided to order a pizza today huh?"

"You think?" Sam responded, dazed. Unfortunately for him and the pizza guy, they were both too much in shock to realize that John had pulled out the gun he disarmed Sam with.

"Say goodbye Demon." He chuckled as he went to pull the trigger

_Bang._

Sam heard the gunshot, but he felt no pain. It took him a minute to realize that it had not been John's gun going off but another one….

Dean was sitting propped up against the wall with John's shotgun in his hands, smoke was pouring out of the tip of the gun. The gun must have landed right in front of him.

John stood there with his eyes wide in pain and then ever so slowly, as if he was in slow motion, he tumbled the floor in a heap.

"No one messes with my little brother." Dean panted before finally passing out.

* * *

_Yes I know! This is HORRIBLY SHORT! But here's the deal! First of all, it sounded like a good place to end it before I got into the medical detail. I'll have to do some research. Second of all, I will update the next chapter super quick! Today if I get lots of reviews!_

_Thirdly, I had to stop right here because I was researching about knee surgery and how bad Dean's knee would be affected being shot by a shotgun. I didn't realize how bad it would be until I read that being shot with a pistol very up close to the knee would cause the person to lose their leg. Well Dean was shot with a shotgun…which is pretty stronger than a pistol, but John shot it from a distance of around five feet. So…do you guys want Dean to lose his leg or just lose his knee where he'd have to get surgery to replace it but be reliable on a cane for the rest of his life? Keep in mind that if he lost his leg and got a prosthetic it would be easier for him to walk on that leg and he would eventually not limp on it. I could go either way, what to you prefer? Whatever you decide I'll look up what kind what treatment Dean will have to have_

_Oh yeah, and for all my readers that didn't know I have a new story up. (The story that won 2nd place in my poll) It's an evil!Sam fic! Called '_The Evil Inside You_' It would be awesome if you guys that didn't read it yet would check it out and please leave a **review**. I keep getting tons of alerts for it but not a lot of reviews…I mean how hard is it for people to just let me know if they like it? So yeah, if you check it out and review it I'd be so thankful!_

_Oh yeah, do you like the way I made pizza guy come in and John get shot? Hehe!_


	21. Still Have A Ways To Go

_Wow! Thanks for all the amazing reviews!! That was my shortest chapter but I got the most reviews! Haha! So here it is- the last chapter of this story!! HOWEVER if any of you didn't know I WILL be making a sequel to this! The sequel will be called _'A Long Road Ahead' _and probably will be posted next week! Thanks for your amazing support for this story! I hope you enjoyed it but it's not over yet! _

* * *

John was finally dead.

Sam would have been more relieved if Dean didn't end up getting shot. But it was finally over. Sam figured Dean got the justice he so deserved.

It was easy to prove to the cops when they finally showed up that Dean had shot John on self defense. (Or rather for Sam and the pizza man's defense) All their stories matched up and they also had the pizza man for witness, whose name they found out was Carl. Sam had to remember to suggest Carl as a name for when they had kids.

Jess only had a mild concussion but other than that she was fine. She was even able to wait with Sam in the waiting room as long as she took it easy. Dean on the other hand was rushed into surgery right away to see if they could save his knee. Sam and Jess were waiting outside in the waiting room when a doctor came up to both Sam and Jess.

"He's done already?" Sam asked in shock, it had only been an hour since Dean had been in the operating room.

"No, he's not. We have a couple of questions to ask you though. We found out that Dean's left knee was damaged as well. How long has it been like this?" The doctor questioned

"For about ten years…probably a little bit more. Our father….he…he did it…" Sam said through clenched teeth

The doctor nodded in understanding. "Well, part of his kneecap is severely damaged, probably made worse from so many years of no treatment. We're putting in a partial prosthetic knee and removing the part of the kneecap that is damaged. But his other knee…"

"How bad is it?" Jess questioned, worry beginning to enter her tone

The doctor sighed causing both Sam and Jess to flinch "His whole kneecap is destroyed. He was shot with a shotgun, which is very powerful and as you informed us your father was practically standing right in front of him when he did it. His ligaments and some muscles were also destroyed. We have two options here and I want you to decide what is best for your brother."

"Why don't you ask him? This should be his decision." Sam told him

"You're brother is undergoing surgery, he is knocked out. We don't have time to wait for the anesthesia to wear off, we have to act now. Option one is that we could try to give your brother a full prosthetic knee, however since he has so much damage it probably won't help that much. He'll need years of treatment and rehab until he is able to walk on it for long periods of time and that is with support. He will always be reliable on a cane or crutches and will probably always suffer some type of pain."

Sam was horrified at what the doctor just told him. There was no way he was having Dean go through all that just to be in constant pain. No, there had to be a better way. "What's the second option?" He demanded

"The second option is that we amputate your brother's leg right above the knee." At seeing both Sam and Jess's terrified faces he quickly continued on. "However this way, your brother will eventually get a prosthetic leg and if he goes to rehab regularly he will have excellent use of it after about a year. He won't be in any pain and he'll be able to walk normally because his other leg will be healed as well with the partial prosthetic knee."

"He won't limp anymore?" Sam asked the doctor

"Like, I said after a year's time he should be good. No one would know that anything's wrong with him by looking at him, he'll be able to walk normally after he masters the leg."

Sam let out a sigh. He by no means wanted Dean to lose his leg. But if he did he wouldn't be in pain, and he could eventually walk normally. For the first time in more than ten years Dean could finally walk without a limp! Compared to the other option, this one was so much better. He just hoped Dean wouldn't hate him for making this decision, he hoped this is what Dean wanted.

* * *

The next day Dean awoke from his surgeries, but he was in and out of it all day, he had no clue what was going on. Sam had to wait another day for Dean to finally be coherent although he was still hooked up on a bunch of meds.

The doctor decided it was best if they told Dean about his leg as soon as possible so he doesn't find out about it on his own. He started by telling Dean about the two options and what the outcomes would have been, just like he told Sam. He told him that Sam had made the best choice for him.

Dean was wide eyed and scared the whole time the doctor was speaking to him. Then he finally looked down and came face to face with his much-shortened leg and Sam saw him pale horribly and begin to shake.

Sam was at this brother's side in an instant, comforting him and apologizing as well. It saddened him so much to see the small remainder stump of Dean's leg all bandaged up, but what else was he to do? He couldn't let Dean live the rest of his life in pain.

"I'm sorry Dean; I had to make a choice. I couldn't chose the other one, I just couldn't. You would be in so much pain and it would be so hard for you to walk…."

Dean took a few calming breaths and leaned into Sam. "Don't apologize Sammy. You made the right decision; it's what I would have made too. You did the right thing, thank you."

* * *

Dean was quiet for the rest of the next two days until Sam walked in to find Dean sobbing freely, head in his hands.

Sam dropped what he had been holding, whatever it was it wasn't important, and rushed over to Dean.

"Dean! What's wrong? Does it hurt? Do you need more meds?" He quickly questioned his brother, only to realize that Dean's tears were not tears of physical pain.

Dean shook his head and continued to cry. Sam couldn't stand it anymore and wrapped his arms around his brother who had been through way too much in his short life.

"Tell me what's wrong Dean? I need to know. You can tell me anything, please." Sam begged over and over until finally ten minutes later when Dean's sobbing had been replace by whimpering, he spoke up.

"It will never end." Dean whispered, shuddering next to his brother

"What will never end Dean?"

"I keep getting injury upon injury Sammy. It feels like it's never ending. Bad thing after bad thing keeps happening to me. I don't deserve this! I just want it to stop! I just want to live my life and not have to worry what horrible injury I'm going to get next!"

Sam's heart broke upon hearing his brother's words. But there was hope; Dean had said that he didn't deserve this. He knew he was a good person and that none of this should have happened to him. That in itself was a big improvement from a year ago.

Sam sat next to his brother on the bed and simply held him close, letting him know that he was always here for him without words. "It will stop Dean. He's gone now, he's dead. The majority of the horrible things that happened to you were all his fault; he will never hurt you again. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from him…"

Dean wildly shook his head. "No, no. I was protecting you, I'm the big brother." Sam went to open his mouth to speak but Dean shushed him. "I know, I know, we both have to protect each other, no mater if we're the younger brother or the older. But it was _you_ that he was after, it was _you_ that he wanted to kill, not me. Therefore, _I _had to protect you, not the other way around. We both sacrifice things for each other."

"You had to sacrifice your leg." Sad pointed out sadly

"Yeah, I did and I'd do it again. I don't regret standing in front of you; I don't regret taking the shot for you Sam, not at all. I don't want you thinking that. It's just…when will I ever get some _good _luck? Ya' know? When will I get lucky, when will things start to go my way?" Dean wiped at the tears that were threatening to fall again.

"It will start now Dean. And you were very lucky to have that gun land right next to you so you could stop him."

Dean thought about this for a minute. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I need to look harder." Sam was right. Dean realized he had actually been really lucky in the past year. His brother saved him before his father killed him, Sam and Jess taught him that his life was worth living and that he was loved, he was able to save both Sam and Jess's lives, and he had a wonderful girlfriend who hopefully still wanted to stay with him even though he lost a leg.

"It'll be okay, we'll get through this. I'll be here for you the whole way, me and Jess both." Sam told Dean

"I know." Dean smiled and for the first time, he actually believed that his pain had ended for good.

* * *

The next day Jess was sitting with Dean in bed playing cards while Sam was taking a nap back at the motel to get some rest. Neither of them left Dean alone at any time even though Dean told them he'd be fine.

They were just getting through their 5th game of slap jack (Jess was determined to beat Dean) when there was a knock on their door frame.

Dean turned around to find Cassie standing there, her face held sorrow and happiness at the same time. Before Dean could decide if she would still want to be with him she ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck. Dumbfounded, Dean wrapped his own arms around her waist.

"Oh God, Dean…Sam called me from your cell to tell me what happened…I was so scared…" She whispered and buried her face into Dean's neck. "Are you feeling okay?"

"You…you don't mind…my leg's gone you know…and my other one got operated on too…I won't be able to walk for a while…I'll have a fake leg…" Dean stuttered

"Are you stupid?" Cassie asked him with disbelief, she grabbed his extremely shortened leg and rubbed soothing circles on it and then leant down and gently kissed it over the bandages, showing him that his loss of leg didn't bother her at all. "You're the sweetest, nicest, funniest guy I know. You're the best boyfriend I've ever had and we've only been dating a week. You think just because you get hurt and lose your leg that I'm going to leave you?"

Dean smiled, his beautiful face lighting up with happiness and Cassie just could not ignore that smile. She cupped her boyfriend's face in her hands as her lips ghosted over his. "It doesn't change who you are. I don't mind it one bit." And with that she moved her hands to the back of his head and kissed the man she cared about so much.

Jess moved to the doorway to stand with Sam. Sam put his arm around his fiancé. He was so glad that Dean had his girlfriend here for him too in this difficult time. They would get through this. That, he was positive of. However, Dean still had to open up to Sam more, Sam had heard what his father said, that he had let other people beat Dean…Sam had yet to confront Dean on this issue, who knew what other horrible things John had done to Dean? Sam had to get the full truth from Dean. Not to mention that Dean had months of therapy and struggle yet to come. Yeah, they still had a long road ahead of them, but at least they had each other.

* * *

_Please let me know what you want to see in the sequel! I love to know what you guys want and will try to put your ideas in! Would you want to see the sequel start right where this left off? Or would you want it to start a couple of months into the future? Do you want to see more of Dean's relationship to Cassie? Do you want to see Sam and Jess get married? Dean's therapy? How about more Sam and Dean time? Let me know!_

_Please review on this last chapter in the story! I really want to know what you think!!_


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